


Flames of Desire

by Tilltheendwilliwrite



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Ancient Greece, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Asgard (Marvel), F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Vaginal Sex, mythology cross over, тэг заменён на Don't copy to another site
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2019-09-13 21:13:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 58,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16899927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tilltheendwilliwrite/pseuds/Tilltheendwilliwrite
Summary: Six years after Loki rescued Astrid from Hydra’s control, and claimed her as his daughter, a woman arrives. A woman of flame and secrets. She’s different, intriguing, unique, and frustrates Loki to no end. Something about her doesn’t seem right, and when he investigates, he finds an even bigger mystery. Is she a friend or foe? Is she a threat to his beloved Astrid? Or is there a larger threat on the horizon? One coming for both Alexa and his Astrid.Sequel to the drabble Little Blessings. (Loki Drabbles chapter 5)





	1. Chapter 1

## Chapter One

  


 

* * *

Astrid was nine when _she_ came into their lives. Alexa, a woman of startling beauty and alleged talent. A breath of fresh air, she arrived like a dust mote, dancing through the door in a shaft of light. Hair like fire and skin like ivory, her nose sprinkled in freckles. Her eyes, though, her eyes had drawn Loki in, in a single glance.

They were azure. The most beautiful blue he’d ever seen.

She came in dressed in skin-tight jeans, a shirt much like the ones Stark usually wore with some rock band or other upon it, and a leather jacket covered in colourful pins. She was so… different.

He’d never seen anyone like her before and was utterly fascinated when she laughed, and a glint of silver showed on her tongue. The draw of her immediately made him suspicious.

Astrid, long accustomed to strangers coming and going, darted forward in excitement at seeing someone so… unique, enthralled by the woman and eager to meet her. Loki was much less sociable, far too cautious to be so trusting, hovering nearby to keep an eye on this new person Rogers and Stark were introducing.

Alexa, a fire wraith, something new and highly dangerous.

He could smell the ash and brimstone on her. “Astrid,” Loki called and held out his hand.

“Papa?” his daughter frowned.

“Come away, child.”

They were of ice. _She_ was of fire. Their kind did not mix well, and Loki would not have his child hurt when the fire wench’s temper got the better of her.

“But…” Astrid murmured.

Loki only looked at her. She quickly came to his side and took his hand. “You have lessons with Vision and must not be late.”

“You’re right, papa. Of course. That would be rude,” Astrid agreed, her smile returning.

Casting a cold glance toward the Captain and Stark, Loki led his daughter away.

***

“Well… he was friendly,” Alexa grumbled.

“Loki’s protective of Astrid. She’s his daughter,” Steve explained.

Alexa shrugged. “I know. I’ve read the files, but _damn_ she looks like him.”

“Let’s get you settled in. Give him a few days. He’ll warm up to you once she does. He can never hold out against Astrid for long,” Stark assured her.

“Sounds good. She seemed sweet. Plus she liked my buttons,” Alexa giggled.

“Well, you’re a little… different than we’re used to,” Steve chuckled.

She rolled a little flame over the back of her hand. “I get that. I’m not what you’d normally think of as _Avenger_ material.”

Steve took a cautious step to the side. “You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t Avenger material.”

Alexa laughed and ran the flame through her hair, causing it to curl and spark before going out. “No worries, Cap! My flame only runs hot for those who need singeing.”

“Good to know, Alex. We’re all looking forward to seeing you in action.”

“The tapes weren’t good enough?” she laughed.

“Nothing like a little live preview to do the body good,” Tony smirked.

“Too true, boss.” She threw him a wink. “Can’t wait to get an up-close look at those suits of yours.”

“No touchy,” Tony said, shaking his finger her way.

“Oh, come on! You know I’m good for it! I’ve got nearly as many doctorates as you do!” she huffed.

Tony arched a brow. “Nearly. Not the same.”

“Close enough,” she huffed. “I’ve got weeks left on my last two dissertations, and then I will have one more than you.”

“She’s got you there, Tony,” Steve chuckled.

“Give me a month, and I could have another doctorate,” Tony grumbled.

“Whatever you say, boss,” Alexa chuckled.

“Don’t call me boss,” Tony huffed.

***

A few days later, Alexa was reading a book on advance astrophysics on her IPad when a shadow fell across her screen. “Dude, you’re totes in my light.”

“But… it’s an IPad. You don’t need light.”

She tilted her head back and smiled at Astrid. “You’re right, of course, but the sun from the window feels nice on my skin.” Alexa shrugged her bare, tattoo-covered shoulders.

“Oh, sorry.” Astrid stepped to the side.

“What you up to, sweetpea?” she asked, shifting her legs from the arm of her chair to the floor.

“Papa says you’re dangerous. I would like to know why,” the girl said as she sat on the coffee table.

“Your papa sounds like a smart man, but I’m only dangerous to my enemies.” Alexa tucked her tablet down beside her in the chair. “Would you like to see?”

Astrid nodded eagerly.

“Okay.” Alexa brought her hands together, closing one over the other and brought them to her lips. She blew gently over her fists, an utterly unneeded action but it made for good showmanship, for when she opened her hands, a rosebud made of tightly packed flames sat between them. She blew a second time, causing the fire to ripple and the rose petals to slowly unfurl until the rose was in full bloom.

“Oh… it's so pretty,” Astrid breathed.

“Would you like to hold it? I promise, my flames are completely harmless.”

Again Astrid nodded eagerly.

“Hold out your hands.” They shot forward and made Alexa giggle. “Careful now,” she murmured as she gently placed the flame rose down into the child’s palms. “There.”

“It’s so warm,” Astrid sighed, her eyes wide and bright with wonder.

“Astrid.”

Alexa jolted in surprise, the voice coming from directly behind her. “Loki! I didn’t see you there.”

“What do you think you are doing?” he snapped, glaring at the flames in his daughter’s hands.

“Look, papa! Isn’t it pretty?” Astrid asked, holding the flower aloft.

Loki flicked his wrist, and the rose fizzled and died, causing Alexa to frown. “Hey, now. It was a harmless bit of fun.”

“You know nothing of my child to know what is and is not a _harmless_ bit of fun. Astrid, I asked you to stay away from Miss Spark.”

“But… but papa!”

“You were to join Dr. Banner in his laboratory ten minutes ago. You caused him to worry when you were late and contact me, pulling me out of an important meeting. You will apologize for upsetting him.”

There was no raised voice, no harsh accusation, only a deep disappointment which even made Alexa feel guilty. “Please, it was my fault for keeping her.”

The harshness appeared when he looked at her. “I will deal with you in a moment. Astrid.”

“I’m sorry, papa,” Astrid murmured. “It won’t happen again.”

“I expect it won’t.” He held out his hand, and she went to him swiftly, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug before rushing off.

Then, Loki turned those intense blue-green eyes on her. Alexa felt it like a blast of winter sneaking beneath her clothes to chill her to the bone. “Stay away from my child.”

“I don’t mean any harm. I’d never hurt your daughter,” Alexa said. “She was curious, and I’d really like to know what I did to put that stick up your ass about me.”

“Fire does not mix with ice!” Loki snapped. “You could hurt her in your playing with far too much ease!”

“I would never harm a child!” Alexa gasped, seriously insulted. “I haven’t hurt anyone with my powers in a very long time. I have more control than that!”

Loki’s hand latched around her throat. “Be careful, wench. Be very, very careful. I know all too well the tender touch of a fire wraith’s flame. I know _exactly_ how quick you are to anger, how swiftly you can melt down. Harm one hair on my child’s head and I will _bury you_!”

She pressed a flame dagger to his cheek as the icy cold seeped through her skin. “I am not a monster, and I have far more control than you do.”

He glanced to the dagger warming his skin and back to her eyes. “Stay away from Astrid.”

“I didn’t seek her out,” she snarled. “You know nothing about me, yet you judge me by your past experiences. I thought the God of Mischief was smarter than that?”

“One would think a woman with eight doctorates would be smart enough to know not to anger a God?”

“One would think a God would know better than to play with fire,” she breathed and stroked her hand down his chest.

He gasped, eyes going wide, as the heat of her caress lit a different kind of fire within him. “What… what… are you?”

“I’m not a fire wraith. But what I am is none of your goddamn business!” She shoved him away from her. “When you learn a few manners, maybe we can discuss your issues like civilized beings!”

Turning on her heel, Alexa marched away.

***

Loki watched her go in wonder and not a little trepidation, her ringlets of fire coloured hair streaming down her back. He was drawn to her, as was Astrid, but she was nothing more than a mortal girl. Why he had these deep feelings of longing, he was not sure. Still, something about her did not make sense to him.

He was not enamoured of mortals. It was not in his nature. To find this one fascinating… irritated him. But - he held up the long strand of red and orange and golden hair - soon he would have the answers to all his questions.

First though, he needed a very long, very cold shower to deal with the flames of desire she'd stroked through his body and thanked the Norns he continued to wear his Asgardian garb. He had no desire to be seen in the state she'd left him in.

Waving a hand, Loki shifted himself to his quarters.

***

Alexa stormed into Tony’s lab. “Overbearing, self-important, condescending, ice prick!”

“Problem, Firebird?” Tony asked, rolling out from beneath one of his many cars.

“Who does that jerk thinks he is? Like I’d ever hurt Astrid or anyone else I consider innocent.”

Sighing like the world was ending and he had to stop it - again - Tony pushed to his feet. “What did the horned wonder do this time?”

She huffed and wandered over to glare down at the new nanobot tech Tony was designing. “She came to me, told me Laufeyson told her I was dangerous and wanted to know why. I made her a flower, and he spazzed out! Threatened me! Told me to stay away from her! I didn’t seek her out to begin with!” Alexa pulled up his documents and flipped through a half dozen diagrams before grabbing the one she wanted and enlarging it.

“Stop touching my things,” he barked, but she ignored him.

“If you want to keep these from shorting out every time they overheat you need to shift this algorithm in their programming, reroute this system, and add a secondary cooling substance to keep the little bastards regenerating.”

He blinked, stared at the changes Alexa had made and grunted. “Huh… that’s… better.”

She snorted. “Of course it is.”

Tony shook his head to clear the host of questions her changes had brought up. “What’s this about Loki threatening you?”

“I don’t know. Dumbass has a hate on for me since the first day. Don’t know what stick he’s got up his butt, but I’d like to jerk it out and beat him with it.”

Tony snorted a bark of laughter. “Well, that was… descriptive.”

She snickered, then sighed. “I’ve been judged by people all my life. Guess I was stupid to think I could come here and find a fresh start. Someone’s always gonna look at me sideways.”

“Kid, he’s a dad. A good one too. That little girl became his whole life six years ago. I never thought I’d say it, but he’s different. He’s not the man he was when he came with his burden of glorious purpose so many years ago. Give him time. He’ll come around.”

“Yeah… sure,” she muttered. “Let’s hope so. Otherwise, there’s gonna be a whole lot of steam.”

***

A week went by before Loki had a chance to delve into the mystery of Alexa. Astrid was quieter than usual, a little sullen. She _liked_ Alexa. Why couldn’t she be friends with Alexa? The woman had such potent magic. She wanted to know more about Alexa.

He hadn’t yelled, Loki never yelled, but he’d discussed at length how Miss Spark was a being of fire. He and Astrid were of ice. The two could not mix, or Alexa could seriously injure Astrid. Astrid was not yet strong enough to protect herself from the heat of a fire wraith’s flames. She, in turn, argued Alexa was kind and had shown she was perfectly capable of controlling her fire.

It was at times like this Loki regretted teaching her how to debate. His child was too damn smart for her own good. Still, he’d gotten a promise from Astrid to stay away from Miss Spark, at least until he could have a closer look at just what she was hiding.

She was not a fire wraith, or not like the ones he was intimately acquainted with, to be sure. The Chitauri torturers had more than one of the foul creatures working for them, and beneath his clothes and his glamour, he had a host of scars thanks to their _tender attentions_.

Once his daughter was off to train with the Captain, Loki opened a portal and walked into his private domain. A lair off the grid and run only by magic, beyond the eyes of SHIELD, the Avengers, and his nosy brother. There he had the space to work on the things he wished to while avoiding having to explain himself.

He’d only blown it up once; twice, if he included that tiny incident with the uranium. Thankfully, that time he’d been smart enough to place an impenetrable shield around the spell, then he’d dropped it through a portal into the deepest part of the ocean to keep it from contaminating everything within a hundred-mile radius. It had been a foolish experiment, but he’d been curious to see what trouble he could get up to when he mixed radioactive substances and magic.

It was far bigger trouble than he was willing to cause, especially with Astrid nearby, and he'd immediately abandoned the project.

Loki held up the glass vial with the strand of flame-bright hair and gave it a little shake. It gleamed with fire even now. The light barely had to caress it to make the strand sing with a residual flame.

“Let's begin, shall we?”

He transferred the hair to a small wooden bowl and began the spell Frigga had taught him so long ago. The discovery of one's true nature could come in handy. Unfortunately, he'd never thought to use it on himself.

With a snap of his fingers, he set a large glass sphere over the bowl to catch the rising smoke. It billowed and filled the interior in white clouds.

Loki ran his hand over the dome. “Show me all your secrets… _Alexa Spark_ ,” he purred, setting his magic to the glass.

Hazy images flickered and made him frown. A woman appeared, startlingly beautiful, perhaps even the most beautiful he'd ever seen. But something about her, about her eyes and her smile, screamed cold calculation.

He waved it away and watched the second image unfold. A cave of fire, a forge, tools of a blacksmith, and a hunched, filthy man. He was ugly, dirty, maimed even, but he smiled, and it was genuine and full of love.

Loki waved it away as well, confused by the images. Mother and father, certainly, but who were they? “Show me something useful,” he muttered.

The next image had him inhaling in shock. “That can’t be.” But the more the images played out, the harder his heart pounded. He knew them, the people in Alexa’s past. Not personally, but he knew of them.

After all, what kind of God would he be if he'd never looked in on the Greek Pantheon?

***

Alexa climbed out of the pool and shot fire through her veins, steaming herself dry in an instant. She ran hands full of flame through her hair and dried the multicoloured locks back into her standard waves and ringlets.

“Impressive.”

She jolted and looked sharply at Loki. “Oh. It's only you.”

“Only?” he hummed, pulling a towel out of nothing. He held it out, dangling from the tip of his index finger. "How unfriendly."

Alexa gave it and him an amused glance before walking toward the lounger she’d been using to soak up the sun. “Hate to disappoint, frosty, but I’m not one to need a towel.” She snapped the strap of her bikini top. “Instadry is kinda my thing.”

“Ah, how foolish of me to try and act the gentleman.”

She snorted. “Yeah right. Cause that’s been your go-to since I got here.” Throwing her hair up in a tail, she grabbed the long sleeve sweatshirt from the chair and pulled it on over her head. “Something you want, or you here to accuse me of child abuse again?”

He stiffened, the smug grin falling away as she pulled her cutoffs up her legs. “Forgive me if I’m overprotective, but Astrid spent the first three years of her life as a Hydra experiment with no affection and no one to care for her until _I_ rescued her from the tortures of that place. It is understandable I would be cautious of new people!”

Alexa arched her brow, the contempt she was feeling written all over her face. “Cautious, sure, but I’m not your enemy, Loki! Nor would I ever hurt a child! Do you think she’s the only one who grew up in hell, cause I can guarantee you she isn’t! And keeping her running from this lesson to that lesson without a chance to play or have a _moment_ of fun isn’t doing her any favours!”

“I beg your pardon?” he snapped striding forward only to be met with a furnace of heat.

“Don’t! You don’t get to put your hands on me again without consequences!” she snarled. “I’m no wraith you can shut down with ice, _Asgardian_!”

He took a step back, pulling himself up into a regal, haughty manner. “Not that it is any of your business, but if Astrid appears to have a myriad of lessons, it is to keep her mind occupied. She is brilliant, smarter even than you. Her magic needs the rigidity of her schedule until she is old enough to maintain control. She is young. When she gets overexcited, accidents happen.”

The heat around Alexa died out. “Oh… oh, I didn’t know.”

“Of course you didn’t. You didn’t bother to ask before you passed judgment on me. As you _humans_ always do.”

She stiffened, disliking the emphasis he put on the word human. “Can you blame me? That’s some track record you’ve got there, Loki. New York, Berlin. That thing that happened right here on this base.”

He walked - more like glided - over to the glass wall to stare out at the compound, but she could see the small twitch of his lips when he fought off a smile. “Yes, well. They came for what is mine. When the _council_ would not listen to those around here who are reasonable, I forced them to listen to _me_.”

“Crazy and unreasonable?” she teased gently.

Loki glanced sharply at her before he chuckled. “Something to that effect.”

He said nothing more, silence lengthening between them until she turned to collect her things. “Well, this has been _swell_ , but I’ve got places to be that aren’t here, so if there’s nothing else…” She didn’t expect there to be anything more, so she nearly died of fright when she turned to leave, and he was standing only inches away. “Sweet, Jiminy Crickets! Make some noise or something!”

“That would be counterintuitive to a stealthy maneuver,” he smirked.

“Yeah, well, it also won’t get you smote with a fireball,” she huffed. “What do you want?”

“Many things, but I will settle for you spending time with Astrid.”

Alexa felt her mouth fall open and couldn’t stop it. “Huh?”

“What is the term Stark always uses? Ah, yes. A _playdate_.” He smirked as she continued to gape at him.

“But… I thought you didn’t trust me around her?”

The haughty look returned to his face. “Did I say it would be unsupervised?”

“You’re kind of a prick; you know that right?” Brushing past him, Alexa headed for the door. “Does she like video games?”

“She plays them with the spider when he comes to visit.”

“Sweet! My room, eighteen hundred hours, bring the pizza. I’ll do the rest.”

“That is not…” he started to argue.

Alexa stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. “You offered the playdate, which means I get to set the time. Six sharp, frosty. I have work till then.”

He gave a regal tilt of his head. “We shall be there.”

***

She barreled down the hall at full speed at ten minutes to six. “Shit! Crap! Dammit to hell!” Rounding the corner, Alexa nearly ran smack into Loki and Astrid. “I have ten minutes!” she bellowed, darting around them both, sparks flickering in the air behind her for a few seconds before winking out. The slam of a door indicated she’d made it to her room.

“Papa?” Astrid giggled.

“Yes, precious?”

The child looked up at him with her big eyes, clear and bright and green as new grass. “I really like her. I’m so happy you said yes.”

She beamed up at him, and Loki’s heart swelled and clenched. “Of course, darling.” He’d do anything to make her happy. Giving in had only been a matter of time and delving deeper into what he suspected of Miss Spark’s background.

“We should walk slow, though. I think she’s going to need those ten minutes cause she was kind of… filthy,” Astrid giggled.

Filthy was an understatement. Evidently, Miss Spark had been assisting Stark in some form of mechanical tinkering for she was absolutely covered in oil, grease, and any number of chemical additives. Though had she asked, Loki could have easily refreshed her with but a wave of his hand.

Still, it gave him ten minutes of time to meander with his daughter, her hand held in his, and discuss the events of her day. She quickly showed him her newest trick, nearly giving him a heart attack when she made a dagger of crystal clear ice appear and stabbed it into her thigh. Apparently, she’d learned enough of phase destabilization from Vision to be able to avoid injury.

“And just _how_ did you come to this… _startling_ discovery?” he asked as calmly as possible, visions of daggers and blades and a hoard of weapons heading for his daughter passing through his brain.

“He threw a penny at me until it passed through my hand.”

Loki’s knees weakened in relief. “But you thought using a dagger to show me was a good idea?”

“More dramatic at any rate,” she giggled and turned her eyes full of mischief his way.

A quiet chuckle escaped him. “Little scamp.”

“Well, I _am_ your daughter,” she snickered and sent a flourish of snowflakes whizzing around her, changing her outfit of black and green leathers into jeans and a t-shirt.

“And the purpose of this getup is?”

A small blush filled her cheeks. “I want Alexa to like me.”

He frowned, concerned. “Of course she’ll like you. You do not need to change who you are for that to happen.”

“I know… I just… she’s so… unique.” Astrid’s eyes were very bright when she looked up at him. “I love her hair. Papa?”

“No.”

She pouted. “But it would be so easy!” Astrid thrust her hand through her hair, and it was suddenly shockingly similar to Miss Sparks.

Loki gently ran his fingers through his daughter’s locks and returned it to its pretty chestnut brown. “There is plenty of time for you to experiment with your looks when you are older. For now, you are but nine years old-”

“Nearly ten,” she huffed.

“- and I would like to keep you a child as long as I can,” he finished, adding a little bit of sternness to get his point across.

She sighed like it was the hardest thing in the world. “Fine!”

Schooling his face, Loki did his best not to show his amusement at her antics and lifted his hand to knock on the door. It opened before his knuckles could make contact.

“Right on time!” Alexa smiled. “Come on in. Make yourselves at home.”

Loki was certain the look of utter awe on his daughter’s face mirrored his own. The woman had barely been there two weeks, but the suite had been transformed into what could only be called a technology lover’s paradise. Screens of multiple sizes covered one wall. The couch had been shoved to the side and in its place sat two chairs fully kitted out for gameplay. A third with its own hood and virtual reality screen waited in another corner.

The countertop of the small kitchenette was coated in parts from some sort of combustion engine. Her walls were covered in sci-fi movie posters, rock bands, and impressionist artists reproductions. The chaos of it was… oddly appealing to Loki.

Yet, the hardness of the space was offset by the seven vases placed around the room, each containing pink or white flowers. Roses, Gerber daisies, peonies, lilies, sweet peas, tulips, and gardenias lightly scented the room. A contradiction of softness and femininity to compete with what he would have traditionally thought of as a very masculine space.

He cast a quick glance through the ajar door to her bedroom and found the complete opposite. It was more than a bedroom. It was a boudoir of sleek modern furnishing but lush bedding, soft silks, and fur. A beautiful abstract nude of a couple entwined in the act of love hung above her bed and gave Loki dark, intriguing thoughts about the fiery beauty. She was certainly more than she seemed.

“You clean up fast, Miss Spark,” Astrid giggled, bouncing into the room with enthusiasm.

"So do you, Astrid. I'm pretty sure you weren't wearing that when I passed you in the hallway."

"Papa taught me to magic my clothes," she smiled and blushed.

"Neat trick," the woman murmured.

Loki shifted his gaze to Alexa and found her watching him curiously before walking across the room and shutting her bedroom door. He arched an amused brow. She arched one in challenge. 

It made him chuckle. “Indeed you do clean up quickly… _Alexa_.” She shivered so subtly he would have missed it if he hadn’t been watching her intently.

“Well, with such pretty company, I couldn’t be rude and be late,” she said smoothly, smiling for Astrid.

“Papa is very pretty. All the ladies say so,” Astrid agreed.

“I meant you, sweetpea, but I guess your papa’s not hard on the eyes either,” Alexa chuckled, in no way embarrassed. “I thought I told you to bring the pizza, frosty?”

He snapped his fingers, and a large flat box appeared in his hand. “Astrid is found of cheese, while I prefer the all meat variety. Hopefully, either of those offerings will do.”

“Either or both are fine. Long as it's got crust, sauce, and cheese, I’ll eat it.” She gave Astrid a wink when his daughter giggled and made her way to her mini fridge. “Beer?” she asked Loki.

“I think not,” he snorted.

She bent and pulled a can of soda from the fridge. “This okay for the squirt?”

As it was the mini kind of cola Astrid liked but he rarely allowed, Loki acquiesced with a nod.

“Catch, kid!” Alexa said and tossed Astrid the can. “Careful when you open that,” she called even as she reached into an upper cabinet and pulled out an unopened bottle of wine.

The bottle was of green glass, cloudy and in no way professional grade making Loki frown even as he flicked his fingers and opened Astrid’s drink without letting it fizz everywhere. “What… is that?”

“What’s it look like?” Alexa muttered, reaching for the glasses on the top shelf before grunting in frustration. “Some days being short really bites.”

Before he could offer to assist, she was already climbing on the counter. Loki moved closer in case she did something equally foolish, like fall off. “You could have simply asked someone taller to get them down for you.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” she frowned. “I’m short. It’s not like I’m unused to having to be part monkey to get to the top shelves.” She jumped lightly to the floor, shifted both glasses to one hand, and turned to rummage through a drawer until she came up with a corkscrew.

The glasses sparkled when she set them on the table beside the pizza box and went back for the bottle of wine. “If you want to be useful, plates are up there.”

Astrid bounced past to get three down. “Your room is so cool! I think some of your toys are even better than Uncle Tony’s!”

“Thank you! And that doesn’t surprise me,” Alexa winked at Astrid, “as most of these are of my own design.”

“Peter’s just going to _die_ when he sees this!”

Loki arched a brow, his daughter’s dramatics equal parts amusing and concerning. She sounded remarkably close to a teenager, and he was in no way ready for that, but what made him flinch was when the corkscrew slipped, and Alexa nearly jammed it into her hand.

“You’re welcome to bring him by when I’m around. I’ll be happy to whip you both at… what do you play?”

“A little of everything. Fallout, Last of Us, Call of Duty, whatever feels right at the time, I guess,” Astrid shrugged.

Loki reached between the two of them to pluck the corkscrew and bottle from Alexa’s hand when she appeared about to try and punch the sharp end through her flesh a second time. “Why don’t you let me do this and you two can eat. You wouldn’t want to waste time on such trivialities when there is so little of it to be had.”

Alexa blinked at him then looked at Astrid. “Does he always talk like that?”

Astrid giggled. “Always. Papa is very formal, but it suits him.”

He rolled his eyes. “I was raised to be courtly and professional. Pardon me if I am too stiff for your liking.”

Alexa peered up at him with her azure eyes, the blue so bright he felt stripped bare before her. She smiled softly and shook her head. “I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”

The cork came free with a pop, but Loki only looked at her, the moment oddly thick and the air strangely warm.

“Do you want cheese or meat?” Astrid asked, oblivious to the tension between the adults in the room.

“Meat. I’m not one to turn down good… meat,” Alexa murmured, smiled coyly and cocked her head. “You gonna pour, or stand there all night?”

Loki blinked and shook himself free of the trance he’d been under. _Dangerous_. She drew him in so easily, yet he was still uncertain of her purpose and her loyalties.

He turned to the table and poured the wine.

The others were all unaware, still, of the potential firestorm they were sitting on, but he was not one to cry wolf without good reason. So far, Alexa appeared to be exactly who she said she was. But, if what her hair had revealed was true, this could be a perilous situation.

The liquid running into the glass was pale gold, clear and without impurities. Loki lifted it for inspection and arched a brow. “A homemade wine of such quality?” Bringing the glass to his nose, he inhaled and was surprised by the crisp notes of apples and grapes.

She watched him as he sipped, swirled, and swallowed. “And?”

“I think you know it is exquisite. Just who, pray tell, makes such a vintage? Stark would be quite interested, I assure you.” He handed her the second glass.

“A relative. He tinkers. Nothing extravagant. A few bottles a year for the family.”

He could tell she was lying but didn’t call her on it. Not yet. “Well, should you be inclined to share in the future...”

“I’ll be sure and call you first,” she quipped, filling her plate with pizza which she took with her to one of the two gaming chairs. “How about you help me out, Astrid. I’ve got a game I’m vetting for a friend. You can help me play and give me your opinion of it. If you like it, we’ll get Peter in here and let him try it out, kay?”

His daughter nodded enthusiastically and plopped her bottom in the second seat.

“These are so cool! Omg! You’ve got such neat tech! And you made this all yourself?” Astrid rambled, clearly excited.

Loki took his glass, his pizza, and went to sit on Alexa’s sofa. He magicked a book into existence and crossed his legs, prepared to read the time away while keeping an eye on the two females.

“My father taught me. He’s an inventor and an artist. Everything I know about working with metals, engines, tech, computers, all of it started with him.”

“He must be so proud of you!” Astrid giggled, wolfing down her food until she caught the look Loki was sending her and reined herself in a little.

“He is,” Alexa smiled, pressing buttons and flicking switches, causing the largest of the TV’s to turn on.

“And your mom?” his daughter asked eagerly, a sponge seeking to soak up every bit of knowledge about this new person in her world.

Alexa’s hand faltered for a moment before returning to whatever she was doing. “She’s not in my life anymore.”

“Oh…” Astrid said softly. “I’m sorry.”

“She made her choice,” Alexa said, smiling to reassure the child. “I made mine, and we parted ways. It’s better this way, I promise.”

“I don’t remember my mom,” Astrid said quietly.

Loki froze.

“But that’s okay. I have papa!”

She grinned at him, and Loki smiled back. “Yes you do, precious. Plus a hoard of aunts and uncles.”

“And Alexa! She’s my friend now, too.” Astrid smiled brightly at them both.

“Of course!” Alexa laughed. “Now, let’s kick a little Nazi ass- ah, behind?”

“It’s okay. Uncle Bucky says ass a lot. Usually when Uncle Sam is around,” Astrid snickered.

Alexa snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, I’ve heard that, too. How about we kick a little butt, kay?”

“Let’s do this!” Astrid hollered and turned to the screen.

Thus began the most amusing, most disconcerting, most fascinating three hours of Loki’s life. It was as if Alexa regressed, not to the mentality of a nine-year-old, but certainly to that of a teenager. She drank, she yelled, she screamed when Astrid made a kill - something he wasn’t sure he was all that okay with as his precious child shrieked a battle cry the likes of which he was not aware she could produce - and generally had the best time he’d ever seen.

It mattered little that he was there, watching, observing, generally studying the two of them as they bonded over pizza and video games. He never did read his book. He did empty the bottle of wine and finished off the rest of the pizza.

When the time came to leave, both females looked at him with disappointment.

“Ten more minutes, papa?” Astrid begged.

“Yeah? Ten more minutes, papa?” Alexa whined.

He chuckled and gave them ten more minutes.

Astrid’s eyes were barely open by the time those ten minutes past and Loki pried the controller from her fingers with ease. “Come along, my sweet girl.”

“I’m tired,” she sighed, but her smile was huge.

He lifted her up, and her arms went willingly around his neck. “Let’s get you to bed then. What do you say to Miss Spark?”

“Thank you, Alexa.”

Alexa smiled gently at his daughter and lightly stroked her back. “Thank you for coming and playing with me, Astrid. You’re welcome back anytime.” Her gaze lifted to his. “As is your papa.”

“Alexa,” Loki fairly purred.

“Loki,” she said with a smug grin and moved to get the door. “Until next time.”

“Yes, next time.” He walked out carrying his precious cargo and smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: fluff, smexy, angst

## Chapter Two

 

* * *

If there was one thing Loki was good at, it was patience. He had eons of time to live and learn and study, so rushing to judgment was not something he did.

In that way, he sat back and watched Alexa. He watched her with his daughter. He watched her with the team. He even watched her when she was unaware he was watching.

She settled in, grew close with Stark and Banner. She intrigued the Captain and Barnes for she was completely different from any woman they'd ever known. Lang spoke her language when it came to engineering, and Wilson hit on her without mercy only to be denied. Alexa called him Birdboy, amusing Barnes to no end.

She was friendly with Wanda and Natasha, but apparently more comfortable with the men. Vision was taken with her, her talented mind fascinating to him, and though he wasn't around as often as he used to be, Clint had discovered Alexa was proficient with a bow. Something another of her relatives had taught her.

But it was Peter and Astrid she bonded with, and Loki whom she teased.

He enjoyed the nights she had them over and was almost convinced she truly meant no harm when small incidents began happening.

Nothing malicious, just… interesting.

In February when everyone began making doe eyes at each other and preparing for the love fest the humans called Valentine's Day, Alexa retreated. She became reclusive, avoiding movie and game night, and spent much time alone. Her clothing grew progressively heavier. The sweatshirts and hoodies getting thicker and baggier until they hid her frame completely. She wore sunglasses on even the cloudiest of days claiming headaches and migraines plagued her and avoided physical contact with people.

But it wasn't until the day Daniel and Maria, both from research and development, two of the people making the biggest and most disgusting display of affection toward each other, got into a full-blown screaming match that the strangest thing happened.

Alexa knew them well having worked with them for weeks and was drawn to the fight no different than the others who had turned into spectators as the couple shouted at each other. After a moment’s contemplation, she walked between them and placed her hand on each chest.

“Petty disagreements mean nothing if you love each other. You do love each other, don't you?” Alexa asked, peering at first one and then the other over the top of her glasses.

Loki was certain he was the only one who noticed when the azure of her eyes glowed pink, for within moments Daniel and Maria were clinging to each other, apologies falling from their lips as Alexa pulled her hood farther forward and slumped away.

Then, a day before Valentine's, she retreated to her room and refused to come out. She was ill, she said. A fever and chest cold. She didn't want anyone else getting sick, so she locked the door and denied everyone access.

Loki didn't believe it for a moment, especially as he’d watched her rebuke three male callers and one female when they'd expressed interest in a Valentine's _date_ only the day before by telling them she already had plans.

That night he waited until Astrid slept before cloaking himself and shifting himself to Alexa’s room. Being of two minds, suspicious and concerned, he used the excuse of checking on her welfare as his reason for invading her privacy should he, somehow, be caught in the act.

At first, he found nothing amiss until he inhaled and the scent of wildflowers nearly knocked him to his knees. It was heady, heavenly. Sweet and rich and intoxicating. It was like a drug and filled him with desire.

But then, the quiet sound of distress hit him, and he turned toward her bedroom. He'd sworn he wouldn't invade her inner chamber, that was going too far, but hearing her cry did strange things to his heart.

What he saw through the open door did strange things to the rest of him. Alexa was changed before his eyes. He could not see her face, but the tumble of flame-bright hair which usually flowed down her spine had become the pale pink of a maiden’s first blush and the silver of a full moon’s beam. A pure white shift had replaced the black of her clothing, and she lay curled away from him on her bed, sniffling and sobbing.

He hated it. Hated whatever pain had caused her to fall into this state and was but moments away from going to her when he remembered he was not supposed to be there at all.

Instead, he sent the smallest trickle of magic toward her to her to push her tumultuous mind into dreams, then left as swiftly as he’d arrived.

He did not see her sit up and whip around to scan her room with fear now darkening her azure eyes.

***

Once Valentine's day passed, everything returned to normal. Or as normal as could be expected in a compound full of superheroes. Alexa burst forth from her room, her hair the vibrant fireball of before, her smile wide, and band shirts back on display.

She said nothing about her “cold”, but Loki could not forget. He could not forget the sound of her anguish, nor the scent of her, nor the color of her hair. Not when he’d gone back to his suite and was forced to take himself in hand and relieve the ache in his loins like a youth of a thousand years.

He chalked it up to having been without a sexual partner since before Astrid became his life and not the sudden deep-seated desire he was feeling for the fire wench.

No. Not fire wench.

For Alexa. He could no longer hold disdain for her because of her abilities with fire. He was far too intrigued by her instead. But still, he had to be sure of her motives before he let these _emotions_ get the best of him.

A few weeks later, he was presented with his opening. It was near the end of March when he found himself tasked with an assignment. Infiltrate a suspected Hydra fundraiser, upload a virus to the second-floor laptop, and get out without getting caught.

Child’s play.

But…

He turned to face Stark and Rogers. “I wish Alexa to accompany me.”

“Pardon?” Steve blinked at him.

“Captain, you know how I hate repeating myself,” Loki huffed.

“Why?” Steve asked instead.

Loki decided to be deliberately obtuse. “I find it aggravating when people do not listen the first time.”

“No. Why do you want a partner?”

He held back his smirk. “Because I do.”

“But Natasha usually goes when you need back up. Why Alexa?”

“She is unknown in the field and will not require a Halo, so there is less chance of discovery. What little tweaking her disguise might need, I can provide.”

“You hate having a partner,” Stark muttered.

Loki rolled his eyes. “You are asking me to walk into a black tie event without an escort. It will seem suspicious if I go alone, and I cannot be worried about maintaining an illusion when I am busy elsewhere, holding my own glamor, and dealing with your confounded technology.” He no longer had an issue understanding Midgardian technology, but he refused to allow anyone to know it. Complaining was part and partial to the fun of his job.

Stark looked at the Captain and shrugged. “She’s been itching to get out of the lab. Might be a good trial run. We know Laufeyson won’t let anything happen to Astrid’s new favorite person.”

Loki huffed a snort and walked away. “I would never allow harm to come to my partner. Even if that person were you, Stark,” he quipped.

“Ha! We all know you like me,” Stark called out.

Loki waved a dismissive hand. “I will inform Alexa of her involvement.”

“I can do that,” Steve offered.

“It will be simpler if I do it. We can discuss her role in the event.” Loki walked away without further comment, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart.

As the fundraiser was in Paris, they would need to leave early and be away for a few days. He would make arrangements for Astrid to stay with Natasha while he was away. But first… Alexa.

Loki made his way through the compound outside to the shop Stark had built to house the forge Alexa had talked him into building. The woman could do amazing things with metal and flames, but Tony had gotten tired of the fire alarms going off every time she heated something to red hot. This way, she could work, Stark got his hands on the fruit of her labors, and Alexa was happily playing with fire in her forge.

At the door, Loki paused and pressed the buzzer. She tended to send fire winging through the air, and he had no desire to get burned by walking in at the wrong moment. It took a few seconds before she arrived to pull the door open. Heat billowed out past her causing Loki to flinch and cool himself substantially.

“Loki. To what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked, leaning against the door jam and crossing her arms.

As she was in the smallest tank top he’d ever seen, the action lifted her lush breasts to swell above the collar. Her azure eyes were bright, the pleasure she took in her work evident. Sweat made her skin glisten, her tattoos colorful as always. Soot and ash darkened the flesh of her arms and that of her legs, bare below the hem of the tiny shorts she had on.

He’d once questioned the sanity of that action, wearing such little clothing to work in the heat and flames. Of course, it only amounted to amusement on her part when she’d rolled a flame over her knuckles without comment.

“I am going on assignment.”

“Ah,” she hummed and walked back into her shop. “Do you want me to watch Astrid while you’re gone?”

“That would be impossible as you will be accompanying me.”

She stopped dead in her tracks. “I’m sorry, what?”

Distracted by her legs, he hummed softly before finding her watching him, her brow arched in amusement. Had he been anyone else, he would have blushed for getting caught, but Loki was not so easily rattled. “The mission requires an escort. I need, hm… what is the term Lang uses? Ah, arm candy.”

This time both brows lifted as she gaped at him in shock, and apparently, some insult. “I beg your pardon?”

Loki flicked his wrist to cool the room as he made his way closer. “Did you or did you not wish to… stretch your Avenger wings?”

“Well, yeah. But _arm candy_? Loki, come on!” she huffed, pulling metal hair sticks from the knot which held her wild mane off her neck and sent it tumbling down her back.

“You may be playing the part, Alexa, but it is still a SHIELD-sanctioned operation. I need assistance, and I am asking for yours.”

She blinked at him for a moment before a slow smile spread across her face. She took a step his way and shook out her hair so it swirled around in waves and curls. “So _you_ want me to be your arm candy?”

When she stood but inches from him, Loki shrugged, reached out, and lifted a handful of her hair. “I will have to do something about this, though. It is rather,” he slowly shifted his gaze to her eyes, “memorable.”

Alexa tsked softly. “Really, frosty? You think I can’t change my own hair?” She rolled her eyes and ran hands full of flames through it. “Better?”

Dark burgundy, nearly blood red in places. It was beautiful, but it wasn’t what he was used to. Nor was it the pale blush and silver of Valentine’s day. Again he took a handful and rubbed it between his fingers. “This will do.”

She grinned and spun away, her hair returning to the flames and fire of before. “So, where are we going? What are we doing? Who are we taking out?”

“We are going to Paris.”

Her face paled. “Why?”

She seemed terrified. Loki followed her and took her by the hand, disliking the look on her face intensely. “Alexa? What is it?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. Bad memories.”

They were more than merely _bad_. Loki could practically feel the fear pour from her. “I can ask Natasha if you prefer to sit this one out?”

“Don’t you dare!” she snapped. “It’s fine. It’s only a city. I will be fine.”

“Alexa.” Loki tugged at her hand and pulled her toward him. “Is there something I should know before going to Paris?”

“Nothing important.”

The lie rolled smoothly off her tongue, but she didn't fool him.

“I trust you will have my back on this assignment.”

“Of course, Loki. After all, I’m just there to look pretty,” she quipped and smiled, but it was sharp, and the scent of her fire and brimstone smoldered in his nose.

Again she pulled at him like she had that fateful Valentine's night. Before he could consider his actions, he took her chin in his hand and tilted her face up to his. “I would not ask for you if I did not think you capable.” She stared up at him with her mouth slightly open. “Your brief is in your room. Learn it. I will see to the rest. Be prepared to be gone for a minimum of three days.”

Loki released her face and turned away, wondering if choosing her for this was a mistake. He’d only taken three steps when he was enveloped from behind by her arms, followed swiftly by the contact of her body against his back.

“Thank you for trusting me,” she breathed against his spine.

He closed his hands over hers, a pang of emotions he couldn’t decipher aching in his chest. “Trust is earned, Alexa,” Loki said softly before pulling her hands away and striding out the door.

She had to stop lying to him to earn it fully.

***

Alexa started out the window at the view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower in all its splendor as Loki, looking nothing like himself, tipped the bellhop and sent him on his way.

It had been a whirlwind moment since late last night when they’d quietly boarded a private plane to jet their way to France for their mission. Once on board, they’d sat to go over the plan a final time.

They would be posing as a couple, Thomas Byron and Virginia Collins. Thomas was, apparently, an alias Loki had been cultivating for years, one of old money. He did his fair share of spending and philanthropy, at least on paper, and was known as generous but reclusive. Though raised in London to an early age, he’d moved with his family to America at ten where the family had been struck by tragedy, leaving Thomas an orphan, albeit a wealthy one. He’d grown up under the tutelage of nannies and bordering schools, finishing at Eaton where he developed his love for English literature. He collected books of rare quality, paintings of eclectic tastes, and traveled extensively around the world, working with not for profit organizations in every field from medical care to clean water.

As Loki had put it, Thomas was a good man but a bit of a bore.

When he did attend an event, gala or fundraiser of this nature, it was almost always solo, or the woman on his arm - usually Natasha in disguise - had a different name and face each time. This time, however, he wanted her along, and though she still wasn’t sure just why that was, Alexa wasn’t looking a gift horse in the mouth. She’d wanted out of the lab, and now she was.

The event they were infiltrating was one raising funds for clean water programs in Africa, but really was a front for Hydra financing. The big wigs and mucky mucks could donate large sums, and no one looked too hard at their ‘charitable donation’.

However, it appeared someone had been digging into Thomas’s background with a bit too much vigor, for now, Loki was under scrutiny in his guise. Too many of these fundraisers had come with SHIELD investigations attached when he’d attended previously.

Initially, Loki had gone in as Thomas, transferred his donation electronically, and SHIELD had followed the path the money took from there. This time, with suspicion already on Thomas, they were going to go in through a backdoor on Philippe D’Amour’s server. He was the money man for Hydra as far as they could tell, but he was too slippery to have ever done anything to have him detained. The best they could hope for was a surgical strike directly at the heart of Hydra’s funds.

If they happened to find other damnable evidence against D’Amour at the same time, so much the better.

Alexa would be playing the part of current fling to the wealthy English bachelor. Virginia Collins and Thomas had met when he’d arrived at her Doctor’s Without Borders camp in Uzbekistan, and he’d followed her home to America when she’d firmly rebuffed his advances while abroad.

Once back on familiar soil, she’d finally given in and agreed to a date with the charming rake. Thomas had swept her off her feet, and at the time she’d still been on sabbatical for a few more months after her experiences abroad, he’d convinced her to travel the world with him until she grew bored. Six months later, they were still together and flying into Paris to attend this fundraiser in support of clean water for all.

Still a little shocked at the depth of their backstory, Alexa had been flicking through her new social media profile created by Friday when Loki stood and excused himself. She’d been staring in awe at the life she wasn’t living when Loki, no longer himself, returned from the back of the jet.

He’d damn near given her a heart attack for she’d thought someone else had appeared on board. A somewhat tricky feat at thirty thousand feet above the Earth and somewhere over the Atlantic.

A short crop hair of messy gold curls had replaced his long dark locks. His skin had taken on a distinctly darker tan, and the eyes of green she found so appealing had become a stunning crystal clear blue, enhanced by the blue suit and crisp white shirt he now wore.

His quip of, “Close your mouth, darling,” had her teeth clicking together.

He looked hot. Scratch that for he always looked hot, but where before he’d been dark and broodingly sexy, Astrid’s incredibly good looking papa, now he was movie star - let me sweep you off your feet and make you moan my name while I screw you in my trailer between takes - _hot_!

Then he’d smiled, and it was the same as always, dispelling a little of the illusion and allowing her to breathe again.

“So, should I call you Thomas or Tom?” she’d asked, getting up to take a closer look.

“Either is acceptable, though if you wish to add to the mystique of our, hmm, relationship, you could always say you save Thomas for the bedroom,” he purred.

She’d refused to acknowledge the sizzle of heat in her belly. “I may just do that… _Thomas_.”

“You’re new clothes await beyond. Best get used to them now.”

He’d waved her off with a chuckle, and thus she found herself in cream-colored dress pants and a cashmere sweater in eggplant purple, wearing a pair of heels so tall she’d gained three inches, bringing her forehead about even with his chin.

When the plane had landed, they’d been shown to a waiting car which had brought them to the posh Hotel Plaza Athénée on the prestigious avenue Montaigne. Thomas, ever the gentleman, had assisted her from the car, tucked her possessively into his side, and escorted her through the doors of the Hotel with such confidence, Alexa would have thought they really were a couple.

There had been no waiting in line in the lobby. The manager had welcomed Loki as if he saw the God of Mischief every day, and escorted them without preamble up to their suite.

The Royal Suite.

It was an apartment with four bedrooms and four bathrooms each equipped with a Jacuzzi and a steam room. She’d counted. The wardrobe and two separate dressing rooms were bigger than her apartment back at the compound. There was a kitchen, dining room, and two living rooms, as well as the balconies which seemed to surround the entire suite, giving them stunning views of the tree-lined street and the Eiffel Tower.

It was beautiful but ridiculous for just the two of them to occupy for what should only be three days.

She tuned back into the conversation in time to hear Loki tell Marcel, the day manager of the hotel, they would require the Signature Eiffel Suite’s terrace for a private dinner that night, with pre-drinks in Le Cave, also to remain private.

Marcel flinched before nodding. “Time, Monsieur Byron?”

“Seven for drinks, Eight for dinner. You know the menu I prefer.” Loki dismissed him with a waved hand.

“When we heard you would be arriving so early, we took the liberty of setting out breakfast for you and the lovely mademoiselle on the terrace as soon as your car arrived.” Marcel motioned toward the doors closest to Alexa who peered out onto the balcony.

“How nice,” she said softly, smiling for both the manager and Loki. “I could use a coffee.”

“Merci, Marcel. That will be all for now,” Loki said graciously.

“Monsieur.” He gave a short bow and left swiftly.

Alexa stepped out of her shoes with a heavy sigh. “I thought he’d never leave.”

“Indeed,” Loki hummed.

She reached for the handle of the terrace door only to find herself pressed bodily against the window panes, Loki wedged up against her in a rather suggestive embrace.

“Are you really so thirsty for your coffee, my little yank, or could I interest you in a tumble before breakfast,” he breathed against her cheek. “I’ve been dying to have you again since the plane… _Virginia_.”

Alexa was halfway between seriously turned on and flipping confused when the false name registered. “Here, _Thomas_? What if someone sees?”

“Come now. Did I not have you on the balcony at the Peninsula in Chicago? No one noticed then.”

His voice was sinful, wicked and sexy in her ear, doing things to her body she hadn’t know possible. Alexa wasn’t one to get lost in the drug of desire, but right now, she could feel it pulse through her body like a lick of fire.

“It was dark then, _Thomas_. And my dress hid much when I sat on your lap.” If he wanted to play with fire, she’d gladly singe him a little. “Maybe you should take me to the bedroom.”

He growled, and the shiver it sent through her body was not contrived. “But which one, sweet Virginia? Or should we test them all?”

His hands were running up and down her sides now, snaking beneath her sweater and climbing dangerously close to her breasts. She whimpered and sucked in a breath. “All, definitely all!” she moaned and shoved away from the doors to turn and face him.

Hot hands went to her bottom and lifted her effortlessly. She wrapped her legs around Loki's waist and arms around his neck. His blue eyes were slowly turning green, and Alexa knew it wasn’t all an act on his part. He wanted her, really wanted her.

She buried her hands in his crop of golden curls and tugged, baring his throat for her teeth which she attacked with vigor.

He snarled a sharp, “Fuck!” and slammed her back into the closest wall where he dragged her hands from his hair and pinned them above her head. Then, he ravaged her mouth. There were no other words for the vicious attack of his tongue and lips and teeth, taking and drinking and stealing the air from her lungs.

He tasted like winter. Like frost and the snowflakes she'd caught on her tongue as a child. He even smelled of it, crisp, cold air. But beneath it, around it, through it, she could smell her own smoldering desire in hot flames and the crackle of wood fire. It made her think of winter cabins, snowed in with the fire blazing, while he had her on the bearskin rug before the flames.

“Oh, god!” she cried when he broke his assault to let her breathe.

“I got them,” he panted, resting his forehead on hers.

Alexa could only blink in confusion. “What?”

“The cameras and recorders. I got them all. Sorry, it took so long.”

“Oh… oh, right.” She felt like an idiot as she released him from the tight grip of his thighs and he let go of her hands. Her feet thunked to the ground when he stepped back. "All an act."

"The cameras are now under my control, and they will see only what I want them to see, but they are likely watching the hotel as well."

"I see." Her knees wobbled but held as she brushed past him on her way toward the master suite.

“Alexa?” he called softly. “Are you alright?”

“Fine. Everything’s fine.” But she didn’t dare turn around to show him the intense red of her cheeks or the tears which threatened. “I’m going to have a bath seeing as how we're supposed to be occupied for the next hour or so. Do a girl a favor and magic her some coffee to go with her bubbles, won’t you?” Especially as he was leaving her high and dry, clearly not inclined to finish what he’d started.

“Of course,” he said quietly. “Take an hour. Then we’ll go out.”

“Out?” she called, striding into the suite the hotel considered the ‘master’.

“Shopping. It’s Paris, and we are staying in the center of the French fashion district. It is expected. Besides, Stark is paying. So we will see and be seen, and play tourist as I show my lovely guest a good time.”

“Well,” Alexa forced a smile, “if Tony’s buying, how could I say no?” She shut the door to the bathroom and leaned heavily against it.

She was so screwed. Three days with the object of her affection playing the attentive boyfriend was going to kill her. Especially knowing just what kind of dynamite resided inside that sexy as hell suit.

“Shades of Olympus… kill me now,” she whimpered and went to run a bath.

***

Loki waited only until the door shut before turning on his heels to march into another bedroom and closed the door to his own bath. He divested himself of his clothing with a thought and stepped beneath the icy spray of the shower, but it was of no avail.

Once again she’d left him hard and so fucking aroused it took no more than a dozen strokes of his hand and the scent of her fire and wildflowers burning in his nose to have him spilling his seed against the stone wall.

“Norns take me,” he hissed softly. “She will be my death.”

He wanted her with every fiber of his being, but until he figured out what it was she was hiding, what lies she kept protecting, he didn’t dare give in. He couldn’t take it if he trusted her to that extent only to find out she’d played him. He wouldn’t survive the betrayal intact, and he must be intact to comfort his daughter should Alexa prove herself a traitor.

But Flames of Valhalla he wanted her.

He wasn’t sure he’d ever get the taste of her out of his mouth. Spicy heat and soothing warmth.

She tasted like love felt.

How was that even possible?

Closing his eyes, Loki let the spray wash over him and prayed it would return the ice around his heart Alexa had begun melting months ago.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Smexy and fluff. Angst if you squint.

## Chapter Three

 

* * *

“Tom,” Alexa cooed when Loki led her through the door of their fifth shop. “I really don’t need any more clothes.”

“One last shop, Virginia darling,” Loki purred, his hand firm on her back as he led her inside. “You haven’t yet found a dress for tomorrow night.”

Alexa arched a brow as she looked at the striking but different man beside her. “You honestly think we came to Paris and I didn’t pack a dress for the Gala?” She tsked at him but stepped away from his guiding hand to wander toward a display of lovely gowns.

A woman rushed over, her smile enormous as she fawned all over _Thomas_. “Monsieur Byron!” she gushed. “So lovely of you to return to my humble establishment.”

“Monique, charming as always,” Loki smiled.

“What can I assist you with today?” Her smile was inviting, her body encased in a dress more suited to a night on the town than a day at work, but it showcased her long legs, sleek body, and ample chest.

Alexa rolled her eyes when the woman placed her hands on Loki’s arm, her body language clearly stating she would be happy to give _Monsieur Byron_ anything he wanted including herself. Never one to feel self-conscious about her body, Alexa suddenly felt short and too plain. She missed her firebrand hair, band tees, and the colourful tattoos Loki had covered up.

“A dress. Something elegant but sexy,” Loki said, smiling down at Monique.

Mildly disgusted by the two of them - Alexa refused to believe it was jealousy - she reached out and lightly fingered the hem of one sparkly silver gown.

“Do not touch the merchandise!” Monique snapped.

Alexa stiffened in anger. “I beg your pardon? If one doesn’t _touch_ the clothes, how is one to know whether they are worth buying? God forbid I should want to try them on.”

“I’m terribly sorry,” Monique simpered, “but your credit must be checked before we would ever allow you to shop here.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I won’t be shopping here.” Alexa looked at Loki and headed for the door.

“Monique, darling. You are an absolute fool. You must never judge a book by its cover,” Loki growled. “Virginia, my sweet. We will find your dress elsewhere,” he said following her as Monique sputtered apologies.

“I told you, Thomas. I brought a dress. I certainly don’t need one of hers, and you couldn’t pay me to shop here now.” Alexa brushed past the doorman and stomped out onto the street.

Loki swiftly overtook her and wrapped his fingers around her wrist to tug her to a stop. “Alexa,” he murmured, so soft she nearly missed it. “I’m truly sorry. She was exceptionally rude to you. She’s never been that way before.”

Alexa shrugged and looked away. “She thought you were there alone.”

“Were you jealous, darling?” he asked, crowding closer.

She tipped her head back to look up at him. He may look like Thomas, but his eyes were all Loki. “Traditionally, when you are shopping with and for your girlfriend, you don’t flirt with the help.” Tugging free of his hold, Alexa turned on her heel and headed down the street. She refused to allow the hurt to thud in her heart and turned her attention to the people on the road.

She liked watching people, the life moving around her. Shopping wasn’t something she enjoyed for more than an hour or two before it got tedious and repetitive, but she could people watch for hours. Wondering about where they were going, where they came from, what their lives were like. All of it almost helped her forget she was back in Paris, a place she’d planned never to return to.

An arm went around her waist, slowing her to a stop when she was pulled back to Loki’s chest. A small bunch of violets in cheerful purple, their stems tied together with ribbon, appeared when he held out his other hand. She’d seen them for sale at a small stand a few yards back.

“Forgive me? I was as rude as Monique.”

_Romantic devil_. Alexa wondered if it was a hidden part of Loki, or simply Paris which brought it out of him. “You’re forgiven.”

His hand splayed over her belly, holding her tight as he placed a kiss on her throat and lightly brushed his lips over the curve of her ear. “Are you always so forgiving?”

“Definitely no,” she chuckled. “I can hold a wicked grudge.”

“And for whom do you keep this grudge, sweet?” he whispered in her ear.

Alexa refused to shiver. “No one important.”

“Ah, but you would not hold the grudge if they were unimportant. You would forget them and move on.”

His sinful voice in her ear did things to her body Alexa wasn’t wholly alright with. “You think you know me so well?”

“I think I know more than you expect me to,” he murmured, dragging his fingers over her belly as he shifted his hand to her hip and encouraged her toward the rows of café tables beneath cheerful umbrellas. “Come, we’ll have a coffee and take a moment.”

“A moment for what?”

He looked down at her, eyes unreadable. “Reflection.”

She let him order, he was proving the type to control, well, everything, but Alexa didn’t mind. He checked with her when he added a tray of select cheese and a charcuterie of cold meat. Loki chose a bottle of wine, requested a basket of bread, and ordered Oeufs à la Neige to be brought with coffee for dessert.

Alexa chuckled when the waiter walked away. “You could have said we were having lunch.”

“Hm. I only made the decision when I sat down. One day, I would love to bring Astrid here,” he said softly. “She adores macrons, but no matter how I try I can’t quite get them to taste the same as they do in Paris.”

“You bake?” she asked, lightly touching the petals on the violets. “I would have thought…” Alexa waved a hand.

“I could, but for all I have taught her, she has taught me the joy of creating with my hands, time, and attention what could easily be accomplished with _that_.” Suddenly, he stood and switched chairs so he sat beside her rather than across the table, and laid his arm along the back of her seat.

A devious smile curled his lips when she looked up at him curiously. “We have a watcher. He’s been following us since we left the hotel, but now he’s grown bold and has sat down a few tables over.”

“And you’re just telling me now?” Alexa frowned.

“He wasn’t a concern until now.” Loki leaned closer and took her lips in a light kiss. “Now we will simply have to… up our game,” he chuckled, taking her chin in his hand.

Alexa’s gaze drifted down to his lips. “Perhaps you should kiss me again.”

“My thoughts exactly,” he purred, rubbing his thumb over her lip.

Laying her flowers on the table, Alexa brought her hand to his chest and plucked at the button uppermost on his shirt. She smiled almost shyly when she returned her gaze to his, then slipped her finger inside the opening above the button and lightly stroked the hollow of his throat. When he swallowed thickly, her smile became much less shy. There was a look of wariness in his eyes when she parted her lips allowing his thumb to slip slightly into her mouth, and gently bit the end of his thumb.

She lightly licked his skin, closed her lips around the appendage, and sucked.

“You are playing with forces beyond your understanding, sweet,” Loki purred.

Alexa released his thumb, smiled wickedly, and tugged him closer by the finger she’d tucked in his shirt. “That’s where you are wrong… _honey_ ,” she whispered against his lips and kissed him softly, a slow, thorough, languid meeting of lips.

His hand shifted to her nape, then up into her hair when he held her there and tilted his head to better seal their mouths together. Alexa fought down the moan rising in her throat when his tongue sought access to her mouth. She thought she knew passion, knew how to hold control of an intimate moment, but something about him had her letting it all go as instinct took over.

She wanted to sink her hands into his dark locks, trace her hands over smooth, cool flesh. Get her mouth on the parts of him she’d yet had a chance to look at, and was moments away from begging him to return to the hotel when a throat clearing had her breaking away to glance at the waiter and blush.

“Monsieur?” He held out the bottle of wine and smiled knowingly at the two of them.

“It will do fine,” Loki said, voice clipped with annoyance. “Leave the bottle.”

The waiter quickly had it uncorked and poured two glasses before leaving with swift feet.

“You shouldn’t be so hard on him, Tom,” Alexa said as she sat back, needing a moment to settle the burning rush in her belly. “He’s only doing his job. It’s not his fault I’m irresistible.”

Loki chuckled and handed her a glass. “Virginia darling, I’m not the one doing the mauling in public.”

She snorted into her glass. “I think the mauling was mutual, love.”

Something flared in Loki’s eyes, but he looked away before she could figure out what. “Perhaps,” he murmured and drank deeply.

Alexa tried not to smirk when he shifted to cross his legs, gave an uncomfortable grunt, turned his body and finally finished the action. “Problem?” He glared at her and made her snicker.

“Fire wench,” he muttered before reaching for her hand to play with her fingers.

She sent a warm wash of heat up his arm. “You have no idea.” Cold seemed to seep up her arm like a creeping vine and made her shiver.

“Oh, but I do, darling,” he smiled smugly.

The waiter returned with their lunch, allowing Alexa to extract her hand from his much to pleasing cool one as they worked their way slowly through the food, talking about random things until dessert arrived.

She smiled and shook her head. “What is it?” she asked, pretending not to know. According to her profile, France and Paris were not places she’d visited in her many travels, though that was nowhere near true.

Loki eyed her for a moment before sliding the dish toward her. “Oeufs à la Neige means “whipped egg whites”. The egg whites are sweetened, whipped, and very delicately cooked, resulting in a perfect light meringue, then served over homemade caramel. It is sweet and delightful, just like you.”

Alexa couldn’t help but snort a laugh. “Smooth, very smooth.”

“I do try,” Loki winked.

She dug her spoon into the dessert. “Too hard at times,” she teased and slipped the meringue into her mouth. “Oh, god,” she moaned. It had been far too long since she’d had the dish, and had forgotten just how amazing it was.

A quiet growl had her opening her eyes to find Loki staring at her with such lust it shook her to her core. Dipping the spoon back into the bowl, she held it out to him. “Want some?”

He bent and took the spoon in his mouth, his eyes locked with hers. “Mmm,” hummed from his throat. “Delicious.”

This time, there was no containing her reaction as a shiver shook her spine and a quiet purr escaped her lips.

Loki’s gaze drifted down to hold and lock on her lips before he sat back and sipped his coffee. “Finish, and we’ll go play tourist.”

“And just where are you taking me?” she asked, perfectly content to eat the rest of the dessert herself.

“Shall we hit the high notes? The tower, the Louvre, or should we do something different?”

Alexa smiled. “Surprise me.”

Loki grinned. “Oh, I do love a good surprise.”

He stood and left the table, pulling his phone from his pocket as he went, leaving Alexa to ponder just what she’d agreed to.

***

“Oh!” she gasped as she stepped from the car.

Loki chuckled as he held her hand and smiled at the Palais Garnier. “Lovely isn’t it?” he murmured. The building was exquisite, opulent and elegant, the interior even more so.

“Amazing!” she said and smiled at him.

He drew Alexa with him away from the car, made sure none were able to overhear them and bent to whisper near her ear, “Have you been before?” She shook her head. “Excellent. I think you will like this.”

“I think we are a little early for the show,” she said, her eyes taking in the façade, the statues, and the architecture of the stage flytower.

“We are not here for the show, though there is a dress rehearsal happening we are welcome to sit in on. I thought perhaps you would enjoy the building as I do.” Quietly, he murmured, “Some of your art pieces remind me of baroque style architecture.”

A pleased flush filled her cheeks when she turned her brilliant smile up to him again. “How astute.”

It was ridiculous how her pleasure in his notice made him feel, so Loki turned back to the building they approached and began speaking about the statues, how each was meant to embody the muses of art and opera. Poetry, instrumental music, drama, painting, sculpture, architecture, industry, and many more. He pointed out the comic and tragic antique masks high above near the gold filigree and spoke about the bronze busts of the many great composers depicted between the columns of the theatre's front façade.

“It’s so beautiful. Look at the patina on the dome and the colour of the stone! It’s like a grand old lady. I just love it,” Alexa laughed, gripping his arm with her flowers dangling from her fist.

“Come. The inside is even better.” Loki led her toward the door where Claude Perraud stood waiting. “Claude.” Loki held out his hand for the man who shook it vigorously.

Of elder years, the man had a receding hairline, ample girth, and many wrinkles, none of which took anything away from his jovial eyes and wide, welcoming smile. “Thomas! I was excited when you called. It has been too long since your last visit.” The man grinned before turning to Alexa. “And such a lovely guest you bring, non?” He lifted her knuckles to his lips. “Are you also a fan of the ballet, mademoiselle?”

“Ballet? I thought this was an opera house?” Alexa asked.

“Once, oui.” Claude smiled and ushered them inside. “Until the Opéra Bastille opened at the Place de la Bastille in 1989. Now we are mainly used for ballet, though the Phantom still returns to us on occasion.”

When she appeared slightly confused, Loki murmured, “The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux was set here in this theatre.”

“Ah,” she murmured. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with it.”

Claude gasped as if Alexa had just said she murdered kittens for a living. “That cannot be!”

“I’m afraid it can,” Alexa chuckled. “While I know of it, I’ve never seen it.”

“Thomas, how dare you allow your young lady to be so… uneducated! I will remedy this atrocity immediately! Give the lovely mademoiselle a tour, my friend. I will come find you.” He rushed away with flapping hands, muttering in French about Americans and their clear lack of culture.

Alexa snickered. “Probably shouldn’t tell him I was kidding, right?”

Loki blinked at her before laughing. “Devious, darling.”

She shrugged. “I think I saw parts of it when I was younger, but I don’t really remember it.”

“He’s quite serious about it, but then Claude oversees restoration as well as upkeep here.” Loki laid his hand on her back and guided her through the loggia into the grand foyer.

“Oh, my god,” she breathed as she stared at the ceiling.

“An awe-inspiring feat for humans,” Loki murmured. “Places like these make me marvel at the potential of your species.” She tried hard to quell the flinch, but it didn’t quite happen. “Art and culture are some of Midgards best qualities.”

She walked down the lobby, peering at the ceiling, stopping only to admire the massive gold candelabra chandeliers. Everything was gilt. So much gold reminded him of the halls of Asgard, but the grandeur of it, the nearly over the top flair made him smile.

“I hate how everything has to be cordoned off now,” Alexa murmured, closing her hand around the rope which kept her a foot or more back from the column-lined walls. “I understand why they do it. They need to preserve what's left of this incredible history, but every time I see something like this, it makes me want to reach out and touch what’s behind it.”

Loki laughed and took her hand to lead her to where the rope opened to allow access further into the theatre. “You remind me of Astrid on occasion. She, too, would want to know why she couldn’t touch something. It was most disconcerting when she learned she could simply call an item to her.”

“And what was the worst thing?” Alexa snickered.

“The glove from one of Stark’s suits. She set off the stabilizer and succeeded in shooting Thor with it. Thankfully it was not the first time Thor has been hit with such a blast and was fine, but after I was tasked with figuring out a charm which would keep her from accessing such power until she was old enough to understand it.”

“Wow,” Alexa murmured, not from his tale though, from the appearance of the Grand Staircase.

“Places like this so rarely exist anymore,” Loki murmured in agreement.

“Why are we here? Better yet, how are we here?” she asked when she stepped up on the first riser and turned to face him.

It put them on the same level and had Loki utterly enchanted by her lush lips. “I patron this place. One I chose on my own. It reminds me of a bygone era, and when Astrid became interested in dance thanks to Natasha, it was a place she longed to visit. When I needed to become Thomas Byron and started investing and throwing money around, a few of the places I chose to patron actually hold… meaning for me. This is one.”

She reached up slowly, her hand finding its way into his short hair. “And why bring me here?”

“I wanted to,” he murmured. “It fit for your profile, but I also thought you, Alexa, would like it.”

Unable to stop himself, Loki curled his arms around her waist. There was no one around, the space void of other people, but he found he didn’t care they no longer needed to act a couple. He wanted her, her secrets and hesitation notwithstanding, the longer he was in her presence, the more he wanted to press her into the wall and sink into her soft body.

Her arms slipped around his neck. “I do like it, Loki,” she said softly. “She never brought me here, though she often said she would.”

“Who?” he murmured.

“My mother,” she sighed and leaned her forehead on his. “I lived in Paris with her for sometime before going to be with my father in the States.”

He drew her closer. “Is that why you didn’t want to come here?”

“She’s not a nice person, Loki. Not someone you want to cross. Leaving to live with my father… it made her angry.” A tremble shook her body.

“Is she still here?” She nodded. “Then we will avoid her while we are here,” he said, skimming his lips along her jaw. That little bit of truth told him more than she likely thought it did.

Beginning to put the pieces of her life together, Loki placed a tender kiss on her lips, but when she easily, nay trustingly melted into his chest, he couldn’t help but deepen the kiss and drag her against his body. He couldn’t get enough of her mouth, of the taste of spice, of something hot which warmed the blood and flooded outward into every limb and cell of his flesh until Loki, a Frost Giant who was always just the wrong side of cold, felt languid and warm and wrapped up in something wonderful, beautiful, and kind.

Then the sound of footsteps caused him to lift his head and stare into her azure eyes. “Your glamour is slipping,” he murmured, lightly touching the flame bright red and gold which had returned to her locks.

“Yours too,” she whispered, threading her fingers through his hair. “It’s darker and a little longer.”

He released her reluctantly to shove his hand through his hair, watching as she did the same, small flames flickering along her fingers. Once he had his glamour under control, Loki held out his hand and returned hers to his arm as he led her up the stairs, knowing Claude would find them sooner rather than later.

“Do we need to talk about this?” Alexa asked softly.

“I find you very attractive,” he stated bluntly, “but you hide things from me, from the others. You show us great trust… to a point. It is what you keep hidden which makes me wary.”

She sighed and ran her fingers up the railing. “Everyone has secrets.”

“This is true, but I feel like your secrets could see us all in danger should they catch us unaware.”

“Then why? Why ask me to come? Why trust me to watch your back on this mission?”

Loki looked down at her and drew her to a stop at the top of the stairs. “Because I have been on Midgard for eight years, six of those as Astrid’s father. In all that time, I have never felt an attraction for any woman… until you.”

She blinked, her mouth dropping open in surprise. “Ever?”

“No. Not until you.”

“You are being very candid, Loki.”

He arched his brow and tilted his head before leading her toward the Auditorium and the music playing beyond the doors. “My title may be God of Mischief and Lies, but that does not mean that I am a liar. I am more inclined to out people for their lies than lie myself.”

She grew quiet again as they snuck through the doors into the Auditorium. Loki didn’t want to disturb the dancers, but he wanted her to see the spectacular masterpiece the theatre was, knowing she’d appreciate it as he did for it was a marvel.

The soft inhale Alexa gave made him smile for he could tell she was enchanted. He had not planned on telling her all he had, but she had opened up to him, even if it was only a little, making him feel the honesty necessary. Perhaps it would encourage her to tell him what he wished to know.

She moved forward to stand along the golden railing and watch the dancers. Loki stepped up behind her, lightly resting his hand at her waist. “Coppélia,” he whispered in her ear. “One of Astrid’s favourites.”

“They’re so graceful,” she murmured.

“This way.” Loki gave her body a gentle tug, led her back into the hall, and around to the right where he pushed back a curtain and motioned for her to sit near the rail.

“Is this allowed?” she whispered, sitting and leaning against the railing, bringing her flowers to her nose.

“Considering the obscene amount of money I donate to this theatre? Anything is allowed.”

“Obscene?” she smirked.

“Truckloads,” he murmured and threw her a wink. “This is my box.”

She sat and watched for a while until the director called a halt and everyone stopped. Then Alexa leaned back into the plush red velvet seat and turned to face him. “You’re right. There are… things about me I haven’t told you or any of the others. Things I didn’t think necessary. Things I’d rather keep to myself, but your right. I can’t earn trust if I’m not willing to give it, so I’ll tell you everything. After we leave Paris.”

“Not now?”

Alexa shook her head. “I think… I think what I have to tell you might require some getting used to. Better to wait till we go home.”

Loki nodded slowly. “Fair enough,” he murmured as Claude pushed back the curtain.

“Ah, my friend! Here, mam’selle.” He thrust a canvas bag with Palais Garnier emblazoned on the side toward Alexa. “Everything on Phantom. Books, pamphlets, the music, even an old program from one of the many theatre performances. Now you will know all about Christine and her Angel of Music,” Claude smiled excitedly.

“Merci monsieur,” she said sweetly, taking the bag. “This is very kind of you.”

“Such beautiful eyes, non?” Claude said to Loki. “No wonder you keep this one close.”

Getting to his feet, Loki held out his hand for Alexa’s. “She is rather special to me,” he murmured, causing her eyes to lift to his.

“Perhaps our Thomas will finally settle down?” Claude said, beaming at the two of them.

“Perhaps I may,” Loki murmured, lifting Alexa’s knuckles to his lips.

A wicked smile curled Alexa’s lips. “Thomas would have to ask properly first, and I just might make him work for it.”

Claude chuckled but nodded. “Such is always the way of smart, beautiful women. Come! I will show you the heights and depths of my house so when you see the video I have included you will know all the places Monsieur Leroux spoke of.”

Alexa stepped past him to take Claude’s arm, but she looked back at Loki and smiled. “I’m delighted by the chance, sir. Truly delighted.”

He knew she spoke of more than just the tour.

***

Loki stood waiting for Alexa outside the bedroom, smoothing down the lapels of his jacket while checking his appearance in the mirror. The tour of the Palais Garnier had been quite a success as far as he was concerned. Alexa had been awed and asked many an intelligent question while she’d thoroughly charmed Claude in her persona of Virginia. They’d returned to the hotel shortly before six to find the bags from their shopping expedition waiting in the living room, and Alexa had disappeared into the bedroom to dress for the evening after tucking her bouquet in a small vase.

“Darling, I’m certain whatever you’ve chosen will be perfectly adequate for dinner,” he said, fiddling with his sleeve as the door finally opened behind him.

“And what if I didn’t want to be simply _adequate_?”

Loki turned and inhaled sharply. She stood in the doorway in a dress of the palest lavender covered in silver sparkles in a variety of shapes and patterns. Short and gathered, the skirt bloomed around her hips, while the tight bodice spanned her shoulders in a high boat neck and left her arms bare. A belt of silver with three geometric shapes for the buckle highlighted her narrow waist.

She’d curled her hair up into a high bun, leaving her neck bare. Her skin glowed against the pale colour, shimmering with sparkles he assumed came from the lotion she’d used, one which smelled of vanilla, lightly masking her fiery scent.

“Then you have succeeded most grandly. You look stunning,” Loki murmured, striding forward to have a closer look. “I do not remember this dress from earlier.”

She arched a brow and smiled slyly. “You didn’t think I showed you everything when they had me dressing up for your pleasure.”

He chuckled for she wasn’t wrong. At each of the shops he’d taken her to, they’d spirited her away and given him a chair, a newspaper, and whatever he wished to drink while they’d dressed Alexa up and showed her off.

“And besides,” she smirked as she headed for the door in her high black stilettos, “I gave up my hair and my tattoos for this assignment. I’m going to wear something fun.”

“And is your dress for tomorrow night’s Gala also this fun?” he asked.

“My dear Thomas,” she threw him a grin over her shoulder. “It’s _more_ fun.”

He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he figured it would be something. “Well, I look forward to seeing it.”

At the door, she paused to look him over, then ran her fingers down the collar of his black dinner jacket. “You look really nice too.”

“Hm,” he hummed, tucking her hand on his elbow. “I have always enjoyed the higher fashion here. For both men and women.” He led her to the elevator and selected the button for the main floor once inside. “Tomorrow, we can spend the day as you wish. The Gala doesn’t begin until seven.”

“Maybe I’ll visit the spa. A massage is always a good idea.”

“No more shopping?” he teased.

“I like shopping as much as the next person, but I think I’ve done enough for one trip. You don’t want to know what this dress cost.”

Loki lightly brushed his fingers down her arm. “It is only money, darling.”

The smirk on her face clearly stated it wasn’t _his_ money. “Be that as it may, I’d rather do something else.”

“Should I surprise you again?”

The elevator slowed to a stop, allowing other passengers to get on. Loki nodded to the couple as Alexa answered his question.

“If your next surprise is anything like earlier today? Absolutely.”

“Then I will endeavour to please, sweet,” he murmured, drawing her closer by a hand at her waist.

Something about the people on the lift with them seemed… off. A quick search with a light brush of magic showed him the guns and hidden knives, as well as the communication devices they wore. Though they both appeared dressed for a night out, as were Loki and Alexa, they didn’t speak to each other, touch each other, or in anyway appear to be on a date other than standing there together.

“You are in for a treat, Virginia darling. Le Cave has a most pleasant selection of wine, and the sommelier is entertaining.”

“So you are the one,” the woman sniffed, turning to glare at Loki.

“The one what?” he asked, lifting his chin.

“The one who caused us to lose our reservation in Le Cave,” she huffed.

“Oh, how terrible, Tom!” Alexa exclaimed. “I’m so sorry. We had no idea the time was booked already. No one said anything.”

The woman raked her gaze down Alexa’s superior and far more expensive outfit.

“No. Why would they?”

“Perhaps you should join us,” Loki offered. “Virginia and I are quite despairing of having ruined your evening.” The doors opened, and he motioned them all to exit.

The two exchanged a look before the woman turned back with a smile. “We’d love to! I’m Lucy, and this is my husband, John.”

Their contrived names were so outlandish it nearly made Loki roll his eyes. Suddenly they were much closer to each other, her hands now wrapped around his arm. She was blonde, buxom, in a tight black number with a heavy gold choker. A large diamond graced her ring finger along with a gold band. Unlike Alexa, her makeup was overdone, much too heavy, very nearly garish.

“A pleasure,” Loki nodded but didn't hold out his hand.

The man was broad of shoulder, reminding him of Sergeant Barnes for width though Loki had him for height. Technically Loki would have him for strength as well if a fight became necessary, but no one would know it to look at them. John had a tattoo of some kind crawling up the side of his neck and was quite void of hair. He looked more like someone's bodyguard than a spy and had Loki wondering if something about today had caused D’Amour and his associates to throw these two at them impromptu.

“Shall we?” Alexa asked. “Lead the way, honey. You’re the one who's done this before.”

“Of course, darling.”

Marcel waited at the entrance to Le Cave and winced when he saw the two extra people. “Forgive me, Monsieur Byron. I must have misunderstood your request for this to be for only yourself and the lovely miss. I will need to rework the table.”

“Not your fault, Marcel. Our guests were a last minute addition. Tell Jacques he may continue with the same menu. I'm sure Lucy and John won't protest the more elevated pallet I've chosen.”

“We aren't picky,” John muttered.

“Please,” Loki said when Marcel turned to lead the way, encouraging the pair to go first. Once they had, Loki looked swiftly down at Alexa.

She was already frowning at their backs. “Is it me, or is this a little… convenient?” she murmured.

“Exactly,” he whispered. “They are armed.”

She smiled up at him, and it was nasty. “Thomas darling,” she curled her fingers around his tie and tugged at it until his mouth hovered a breath away from hers. “So am I.”

Fire dance in her eyes. Loki let his magic flare in his. “Shall we play a game, darling?”

“Mm, I do love games,” she smiled. “I bet they think they're the cats in this farce of theirs.”

“Let's go play with the silly little mice, my lovely Virginia.”

“I'm with you, my dashing Thomas,” she grinned and slid her fingers down his tie to the tip which she gave a tug to as she walked away.

A wicked smile crossed Loki's lips. He was going to enjoy this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Fluff, fluff, tricky Loki, and... smut. NSFW

## Chapter Four

 

* * *

Alexa sipped the third sampling and smiled at Loki. The sommelier, Jacques, was effervescent and amusing, keeping the conversation flowing with little anecdotes about the wines, the winemakers, or the vineyards.

They were roughly a half hour into the tasting, lingering over a delicious red she knew nothing about when Loki's arm curled around her waist.

“What do you think so far, darling?”

“This one is my favourite,” she murmured, drinking the rest of the glass slowly while peering at him over the rim.

“It is lovely, but I think we can do better.” He motioned to Jacques who hurried over from where he was opening a new bottle. “Instead of my regular Cabernet Sauvignon with dinner, I think a Merlot. The 1982 Petrus.”

“Of course! I will see it pulled from the vault and have it sent up to the Eiffel Suite for your dinner.”

He hurried off to speak with another attendant and Alexa looked up at Loki. “Vault?”

“It is a rather expensive bottle, darling, but worth every cent.”

“Just what do you do, Tom to live so… lavishly?” Lucy asked.

“Old money, Lucy dear. But I've been fortunate in my investments and have expanded my portfolio nicely. You?”

She didn't miss a beat. “John runs security for a couple of the big hotels in  Las Vegas. He's worked so hard, but I've been begging him for years to show me the real Eiffel Tower before we decide to have a few rugrats. Do you like kids, Virginia?”

“Love ‘em. Some of my favourite patients have been kids,” Alexa smiled.

“You're a doctor?” John asked.

He didn't sound quite as surprised as he should. “I am, though I've been on sabbatical for a while now. Tom keeps me on the move what with his charity work. I find I enjoy that nearly as much.”

“What kind of charities?” Lucy asked, her eyes less focused than they had been.

“Well, we're in town for the D'Amour Gala tomorrow night. The proceeds go toward clean water programs in Africa.” Alexa sipped from her glass. The alcohol was starting to hum in her blood, but a quick retreat to the bathroom and a hot flash of her inner flame would burn it off. “I think I should take a minute to powder my nose before we switch to the whites.”

“That way, darling,” Loki nodded down the hall.

“Why don't I join you?” Lucy smiled and linked her arm through Alexa's.

“Why don’t you?” Alexa smirked. “Leave these men to talk business.”

“Don't you two go having any fun without us,” Lucy simpered.

“We wouldn't dream of it,” Loki smiled when he locked eyes with Alexa, who winked in return.

The two of them made their way together toward the bathroom, Lucy laughing and giggling. If Alexa didn't know better, she would assume Lucy was just a tourist enjoying her time in Paris. But when the door to the immaculate washroom closed, Alexa caught the sharpening of Lucy's eyes in the mirror.

“As much as I love John, I have to ask. How did you manage to catch such a man as Tom?”

Alexa laughed as she walked into a stall, rolling her eyes only when she knew Lucy couldn't see her. “He came into my camp when I was working with Doctors Without Borders. He was a charming rake." Alexa sat and let the heat of her inner flame burn off the alcohol. “But I declined his advances. I had no desire to have a fling while I was working.”

“Really?” she sounded legitimately shocked.

“The people I was caring for were more important than scratching my libido,” Alexa huffed.

“So… what kind of doctor?”

“ER. I can set a break, diagnose a cold, or crack open your chest if you have a heart attack,” Alexa said, flushing her toilet and leaving the stall to wash her hands. “Not to overstep here, but have you had that mole checked?”

Lucy blinked. “What mole?”

“That one.” She lightly touched the small brown mark on Lucy's shoulder. “Irregular edges. I'd definitely be having it check. Living in Vegas as you do with all that sun exposure, I'd be concerned about melanoma.”

“Skin cancer!” the woman squeaked.

“But if you catch it early enough, I'm sure you'll be fine,” Alexa said sweetly. “After all, it's the only mole you have, right?”

Lucy's eyes went wide before she shook her head. “Two… two more on my low back.”

“Oh, dear. Well, I'm no dermatologist, but I could look if you'd like?”

She nodded vigorously and tugged the zipper down on her dress. “I kept saying I thought they were odd, even growing maybe, but Ger-er John said they were fine.”

Alexa ignored the slip-up and stepped behind Lucy to see the slightly larger moles on the woman's lower back. She placed two fingers at the nape of Lucy's neck and drew them slowly, sensually down the woman's spine, leaving behind a wash of heat and a thread of lust, enchanting the woman entirely and bringing her under Alexa's spell.

A flair of pink power coloured Alexa's eyes. “Lucy,” she purred. “What a naughty girl you've been.”

“I am so sorry, mistress,” she moaned when Alexa zipped her dress up and turned her around. 

“Why are you spying on Tom and me?” she asked cupping Lucy's cheek and drawing her closer. Alexa held her in a storm of lust and desire, her mind muddled and incapable of escape.

“D'Amour suspects… SHIELD plant.”

“Why?” Alexa pouted and pressed her body against Lucy's.

“Too many money traces,” she shook and moaned. “Please, mistress.”

“Shh,” Alexa hushed her, a finger to her lips. “Is that all?”

“Planning… to kill him if another trace is found.”

Her blood ran cold, but Alexa didn't let it disrupt the flow of her power, noting the silver and pink streaks running through her hair in the mirror. “But we're not with SHIELD are we Lucy?”

“Oh, no, mistress. You're not SHIELD. Not at all.”

“That's right my sweet Lucy. Tom is a rich man throwing around his money for a good cause. And I'm nothing more than the woman currently riding his arm. We're unimportant. There's nothing about us which would make you think SHIELD.”

“Nothing at all,” Lucy breathed as Alexa turned her around and pulled the zipper down on the other woman's dress. She made sure her hair was behaving before releasing Lucy from the thick coils of seduction. “I really would get these checked. They may be nothing, but better safe than sorry.”

“What?” Lucy blinked twice.

“Your moles.” She frowned at Lucy in the mirror. “You're very flushed. Maybe the wine is getting to you?”

“I… I think you're right,” Lucy said, setting a hand on her forehead. “I feel a little light headed.”

“Come. We'll rejoin the men. Perhaps you could join us for dinner?”

“Oh?” Lucy looked up with a besotted smile. “That would be wonderful!”

***

Loki watched “John” fiddle with glass. He'd been doing that since they sat down. While his “wife” imbibed freely, John didn't. He appeared to drink with the rest of them, but his glasses were dumped in the discard bin more times than not.

Of course, Loki being Loki felt nothing when it came to the human alcohol but warmth in his belly. He'd been weaned on Asgardian ale, a thousand times stronger than any Midgardian wine, but he allowed his glamour to take on a slight flush to his cheeks.

“So, John. Tell me about being in security? Guard anyone I might know?”

He sat back and smirked. “Probably. But naming names gets you dropped faster than a hot coal.”

“Ah, I suppose it would,” Loki nodded solemnly. “But business is good?”

“It has its seasons. Sometimes we're so busy I spend twenty-four hours running on coffee and energy drinks, and other times the clients give me breathing room.”

“I can only imagine how exciting it all must be.” Loki leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Have you ever… _shot_ anyone?” There was a flicker of maniacal pleasure in John's eyes. This one liked to hurt people. “In defence of your client of course.”

“A few times,” John smirked into his wine glass.

With a flick of his fingers, Loki made each sip act like half a glass, intent on giving John one hell of a hangover tomorrow. “How devilishly wicked,” Loki smiled. “I'm afraid I have no love for guns. Wouldn't know what to do if someone pointed one at me.”

He gave a small snort. “You hand over your wallet, watch, and jewelry, and hope they don't shoot you anyway. You ever thought about personal protection? The way you travel and the places you go might be a smart idea to have someone around to look after your woman.”

Loki arched a brow as if contemplating the idea. For his part, John looked slightly disgusted by the idea of a man unable to protect himself or what he claimed as his. “Hm, I might just do that. Virginia is quite dear to me. Should something happen to her, I’m not sure what I would do.” He would maim his way through the lot of whoever hurt Alexa, bringing lasting pain and slow death in an inconceivable act of violence and rage.

“Always a good idea. You never know. Someone might try to grab her to get to you. You’re an easy target for a kidnapping and ransom bit.”

“Oh, dear,” Loki murmured, feigning concern. “That really won’t do. Especially after tonight.”

“Why tonight?” John asked.

Loki shot a glance at the door the woman had gone through, but he knew Alexa was not yet returning and dug in his jacket pocket for the red velvet box he created on a whim. “Because, after tonight, I hope for her to consent to become my wife.”

“You’re gonna ask her to marry you?”

The gleam of excitement in his eye told Loki all he needed to know. Whoever John worked for - Loki was betting on D’Amour - they would attempt to use this information to their advantage. Alexa had just become a target. Luckily, she was more than capable of roasting those who came for her.

He gave a smile and nodded his head, slipping the ring box back in his pocket. “How long have you and your lovely wife been married?”

“Uh, four years,” John murmured, a flush beginning to build in his cheeks.

“Just like a man, unable to remember,” Lucy huffed as she and Alexa returned. “It's five.”

“Monsieur Byron?” Jacques returned to the table with the new round of whites. “Two or four tastings, sir?”

“I think two,” Loki murmured, rising to his feet to see Alexa seated. “Have you lingered long enough, darling? I fear I am famished.”

“I could eat,” Alexa smiled brightly at him. “Maybe our new friends could join us for dinner?”

“Darling, I…” Loki hesitated, playing his part. “It is only for two, sweet.”

“They managed to make this for four,” Alexa fluttered her lashes. “Surely they could accommodate us.”

“Virginia, I really must insist.” He shot a look at John who straightened in his seat.

“Lucy and I already have plans for dinner as it is,” he murmured.

“No we don’t,” Lucy contradicted him.

“Yes,” John growled, “We do!”

She made to argue, but the look he sent her must have cut through the alcoholic haze she was under for her jaw snapped shut with a click.

“Tom, what is up with you?” Alexa grumbled as the next round of wine was placed before them.

Loki gave a long-suffering sigh. “I have a surprise planned for dinner, darling. Forgive me if I don’t want to share it.”

She scowled at him and leaned closer. “If it’s your regular brand of balcony surprise, I can assure you that’s not happening.”

“Virginia,” he smiled deviantly, “you wound me, love.” She arched a skeptical brow, but Loki only waved Jacques to begin.

She pouted through both tastings, Lucy wearing an identical look until John leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. Immediately Lucy’s face cleared, her smile large with a gleam of glee in her eyes. Yes, they were definitely going to try and use Alexa against him if it came down to that.

With the last glass drank, the four of them left La Cave, Lucy and John listing slightly in their inebriated states.

“Well, thanks for this,” John held out his hand, and Loki shook it. “And good luck.”

“Thank you, John. By chance have you a card?” he asked, wondering how far they would push this charade.

He gave a negative shake of his head. “Fraid not. Lucy insisted. No work on this trip.”

“Shame.” And poor business practice. “Have mine. When you return home, give me a call. We’ll speak more on your thoughts for security.”

“Will do.” He tucked the card Loki handed him in his pocket.

“It was so nice to meet you, Lucy,” Alexa was saying as she hugged the woman. “Don’t forget to make an appointment with your doctor when you get home.”

“I won’t. Thank you for everything, Virginia. I hope you have fun at your gala tomorrow. And don’t be too hard on your man for denying us dinner. I think he’s a keeper.” Lucy winked at him.

Loki smiled and tilted his head, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “Thank you, Lucy dear. It was a pleasure. Virginia?” He urged her toward the elevators with a hand on her back.

“I don’t see why they couldn’t have dinner with us,” Alexa pouted.

“You will,” Loki murmured.

She shot him a glance that was all Alexa and had him smirking at her in his wicked way.

“What are you up too?”

“Nothing.” Loki continued to grin at her as they got on the lift. Alone for the first time in a tedious hour, Loki backed her into the wall and brought his mouth to her ear. “Play along,” he whispered. “They’ve had enough time to bug the Eiffel suite and terrace.”

Her hands caressed his back as she turned her lips to his ear. “Lucy won’t be a problem. She’ll be adamant we have nothing to do with SHIELD.”

“How did you make that happen?” Loki asked, gliding his hands over her.

“I’ll tell you after the mission,” she breathed and nipped her teeth into his earlobe.

Loki growled, unable to stop the noise from breaking. “Deviant little thing.” He pulled back when the elevator slowed and took her hand to lead her down the hall to where Marcel was waiting.

“Ah, Monsieur Byron. Mamselle. La Cave was too your liking?”

“As always, Marcel,” Loki nodded. “The selection was divine.”

“Excellent!” The man turned and opened the doors with a flourish before leading them through the suite to terrace doors and a balcony which wrapped around the hotel and gave the most stunning view of the tower at night.

“Oh, Tom!” Alexa exclaimed at the view.

“Wonderful isn’t it?” He placed his hand on her back and admired her as she took in Paris beneath the stars. “Come, darling. Dinner awaits.”

“If we ever come back here, can we just get this suite?” she asked, smiling up at him, a blend of stars and flames in her eyes.

“Whatever you wish, pet.” He would bring her here often if she continued to look at him like that.

“Here you are, monsieur,” Marcel said, half bowing them into the square of terrace which jutted out away from the building.

The hedge surrounding it was full of twinkle lights, and the patio furniture which generally made up the area had been replaced by a table and two chairs. The bottle of wine he’d requested sat waiting. Candles gleamed in glass holders, and roses the colour of Alexa’s flames decorated the table.

“Oh… oh, _Thomas_ ,” she whispered, but in his heart, Loki knew she meant him. “No wonder you didn’t want to share.”

“The setting is almost as lovely as you, Virginia,” he murmured, cupping her chin and bending to kiss her lips.

Her lashes fluttered shut as her breath rushed over his mouth and her lips formed the word _Loki_ against his. He hummed his approval and sank into her mouth, intent on replacing the taste of wine on his tongue with hers of spice and flame.

A discrete cough reminded him of their audience. “Come, take your seat, love. I am certain dinner is but moments from arriving.” Loki led her forward and held her chair before taking his own.

Marcel was instantly there, pouring the wine, and droning on about the menu Loki had requested. After it was a whirlwind of food. Caviar and assorted cheeses. A light sorbet to cleanse the palate. He knew of Alexa’s preference for red meat and saw her accommodated with the grilled sirloin while he enjoyed the Angus. The wine flowed along with the soft conversation, Marcel an ever-present shadow as he attended their meal personally.

When coffee and dessert arrived, berries and light cream, Marcel finally took his leave. “Monsieur Byron. Mamselle. It was a pleasure.”

Loki nodded his head. “Thank you, Marcel.”

“Merci, Marcel,” Alexa smiled. “This has been lovely.”

“Stay as long as you like,” the man smiled, bowing to the table before he went inside.

Moments later soft music began to play from the speakers, causing Alexa to smile. “A true romantic.”

“Well, he is French, darling.” Loki pushed back from the table and stood holding his hand out to Alexa. “Care to dance?”

She took his hand without hesitation. “Another romantic.”

Loki winked as he drew her in close and began to sway. “I’ve managed to seize control of all the cameras and recording devices on the terrace, but there is a team watching us, stationed on the roof directly behind me,” he whispered against her ear.

“Mm,” she hummed her understanding.

“I told John I had something big and special planned for tonight.”

“This wasn’t it?” she whispered, sliding her arms up around his neck and turning her face into his throat.

“No. And now with our audience, I will have to go through with it.”

“I’m game,” she smirked against his skin.

Loki pushed her back slightly so he could cradle her nape and stare down into her eyes. “My darling, Virginia. Do you know how much I adore you?”

She smiled innocently up at him. “I have an idea.”

He chuckled at her cheek. “We’ve known each other nearly a year, and I find the thought of life without you in it is abhorrent to me.”

Her eyes widened when she caught on to what he was about to do. “Thomas?”

“When I met you, you were like a spot of colour in my otherwise monochromatic world; a flame burning bright,” he smirked. “You set me on a merry chase, my darling. Across continents and oceans to capture your attention. Now that I have it, I never want to let it go, so I ask you,” Loki pushed back and lowered to a knee as he pulled the ring box from his pocket and snapped it open to show her the diamond burning bright wrapped in a circle of rubies. “Will you marry me?”

Her hands went to her mouth as tears, real or feigned he couldn’t tell, slipped down her face. “Yes. Oh, Thomas, yes!” she cried and held down her hand for him to place the ring on it.

Then Loki was on his feet, and his mouth was on hers, devouring, claiming, possessing, desperate for the taste of her again. Her hands clutched and scratched, shoving at his coat until it fell down his back. She shoved him down into his chair and crawled into his lap.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t do this again?” he teased her. Not that they’d ever done it before, but it was clear she was playing it up for their audience.

“I lied,” she growled against his lips and tugged until his tie hung loose around his neck and pulled until his shirt was free from his pants. She had the buttons undone and his shirt open, her hands leaving searing trails of warmth on his skin in seconds.

Loki’s hands clamped to her ass beneath the short hem of her dress. He dragged her forward until her core connected with his rapidly swelling cock and pulled her down hard on him. A whimper soon became a moan when she braced her feet and rolled her hips, taking over the ride.

“Fuck, darling!” Loki gasped unable to control his reaction to her any longer. “I want you. Here and now.”

“Yes,” she whimpered, her eyes appearing to glow in the light from all the candles.

Her hands were tearing at his belt as his shredded her underwear. A hiss left him when her fingers wrapped around his cock and gave it three long strokes. He lifted her up, and she guided him to rub his tip over her wet center before sink into the sweltering warmth of her tight cunny.

Loki lowered her slowly, the feel of her so good it made his balls ache. “You’re exquisitely tight, love.” Knowing they were in dangerous territory, he wrapped them in illusion, shorted out every recording device on the terrace, and made sure the one D’amour’s team used to listen in and watch blew up handily in their faces.

And not a moment too soon when Alexa’s glamour failed, and her flame-bright hair returned. Her hands sank into his, pulling on his locks as he helped her ride, stroke her incredible heat up and down his shaft. She squeezed around him with every upward glide, drawing on his cock in a most pleasurable way.

“Fuck, Alexa,” he murmured.

Releasing her ass with one hand, he reached for the zipper in her dress and fought her bodice down. Her lacy blue bra encased her bouncing breasts, and he used a flick of magic to slice open the front and free them from their confines.

“Loki,” she groaned when their bare flesh brushed together.

He stood with her in his arms and shoved the dishes out of the way as he laid her on the table. “Such beauty must be worshiped,” he whispered and dropped his mouth to her breasts. Lush, they were like the cream and berries they’d eaten for dessert. Pale and pink and delicious.

Her moans became soft cries when he thrust slow, full drives of his cock through her clenching walls. Nails raked over his shoulders as he sucked and licked and lapped at her, pulling on her nipples until they were hard, swollen buds. Her cunny was drowning him in honey, soaking his cock with more cream than he’d known a woman could produce.

Frantic for her, Loki pulled back and dropped to his knees desperate for a taste, and closed his mouth over her core. She came apart with the first pass of his tongue, a passion laced cry breaking from her lips when more honey flowed and made Loki moan.

Ambrosia. Nectar of the Gods. Sweet and addicting filled his mouth and made him mad for her.

Surging back to his feet, he thrust hard into her contracting body, relished her sharp cry of delight, and lifted her legs to his shoulder so he could take her by the waist and fuck hard and fast into her clenching core.

“Alexa…” he groaned, so close his balls ached. It had been too long since he’d had sex, and his stamina wasn’t what it used to be, though he could likely throw half the blame for his lack of control on her incredibly pleasing cunny.

Her nails dug into his forearms. “Come, Loki. I’m with you.”

Flames danced in her eyes, her hair, and along her skin. Ice crystallized on the table around her, his hands blue on her hips. Where fire and ice met, steam sizzled into the air.

“Alexa,” he growled, letting her legs fall open so he could lay over her, hips jerking hard, hands clenched on the table’s edge as plates and wine glasses shattered when they fell to the terrace.

“Loki,” she breathed against his mouth, then arched and cried out.

Her walls clamped down and milked him of his seed, sending him tumbling after her, hips snapping forcefully into her body as he filled her with his release and moaned her name against her throat.

Unable to move, Loki checked to be sure the illusion had held and sighed into her neck in relief. Anyone watching would see only the two of them in their personas of Tom and Virginia moving together on his chair. “That was too close.”

“Illusion?” she murmured, her fingers carding through his hair.

“Mm, yes.” He sighed and heaved them both up, still hard and randy inside her, and returned to sit on his chair. A quick wave righted everything, leaving no evidence he’d fucked her senseless on the table. “You must correct your glamour, Alexa.”

“In a minute,” she purred, working her lips over his throat, and her thumbs in circles over his nipples.

His cock jerked and made her growl against him, her hips beginning to roll. “Fuck, darling. Again?”

“And again, and again.” She sank her teeth gently into his pulse. “I’ve wanted to do this for months. I really like you, Loki.”

Her earnest response made his heart ache. This hadn’t been the plan. He needed answers before he let his feelings get involved. But she’d taken the defences of ice and snow around his heart and melted them with passion and flames.

Unable to resist, he took her ass in his hands and began a slow ride, dragging her down as he used his mouth to play with her breasts. Her hands hung loosely on his shoulders. Her soft cries with every downward roll sent pride welling in his heart. She made those noises for him, strung out on his cock.

He wanted to take her to their room, lock the door, and fuck her hard and fast into the mattress. He wanted to love her slow and tender in the shower. He wanted to spread her over the sofa and tease her till she screamed. He wanted to own every part of her.

“Alexa,” he sighed against her chest.

Her arms wrapped around him and a quiet moan accompanied the quaking of her body and clenching of her core, and Loki was there again, with her, falling over the edge into oblivion as all that mattered was filling her sweet body with his cock.

When he lifted his head, her beautiful azure eyes were right there. In them were two emotions he never thought to see at the same time when it came to him. One was the emotion most associated with him, the other familiar only when it came to Frigga, Thor, and Astrid.

Fear and love.

"Alexa?"

She framed his face, a shimmer of tears in her eyes. "Can we have now? Tonight? Can we have our time in Paris without questions?"

Confusion had him frowning at her. "Alexa?"

"Please?" she begged softly.

It went against his better judgement, but Loki slowly nodded as he fixed her clothes. "Alright, darling. No questions until we leave Paris."

Her forehead lowered to rest against his. "I'm so afraid you'll hate me."

"Alexa," he whispered caressing her thighs. "Once we finish the Gala and are on the plane you will tell me everything. I can't promise I won't be angry, but I promise to listen."

"Can we go back to the room? Please?" She pressed a frantic kiss to his mouth.

"Of course, love," he murmured stroking her soft skin before shifting her off him and fixing his pants.

Loki ran his hand over her hair and righted her glamour himself, then stood them both to their feet, finally releasing his illusion. She busied herself with his shirt buttons, but Loki cupped her chin and lifted her face to press a gentle kiss on her mouth. "No worries tonight. You're beautiful, darling. Let me show you?"

Her stunning eyes locked with his, renewed desire filling them while her hands smoothed over his chest and her ring flashed with candlelight. "Yes. I want you."

He collected his coat, wrapped his arm around her waist, and led her from the terrace determined to see her desire fulfilled and ignore the worry her words had placed in his heart.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: NSFW, smut, language, rough smut
> 
> This chapter brought to you through Coffee Updates thanks to @fairlightswiftly! Thanks for your support!

* * *

Alexa slept on her stomach, tattoo-covered arms wrapped around a pillow with her shock of flame-bright hair spread out over her shoulders and across her back. The sheets outlined her body, but between the strands of her hair and the low slung fabric he could just glimpse her flesh — the soft, warm, smooth skin he’d spent the last day worshiping.

They hadn’t left their room since dinner last night, unable to get enough of each other, stopping only long enough to order room service.

Once he’d had a taste of her, once he’d felt the heat of her flame burning against him, Loki had become insatiable. Even now as he leaned in the doorway and watched her sleep, he wanted her again. He was sure there was some inch of her he hadn’t touched or tasted.

But she was exhausted thanks to him. Loki smirked in pride at how exhausted before turning and walking naked into the other room. He would give her another thirty minutes before waking her to begin her preparations for the Gala, but first, he had a call to make.

Comfortable in his nudity, Loki walked across the room and settled on the sofa where he picked up his phone and dialled a familiar number. The room was rife with magic, allowing him to present the image of Thomas at work after having spent a pleasant few hours behind closed doors with his woman. No one needed to know about or witness the marathon sex they’d engaged in on nearly every flat surface within the suite.

The call rang once before she picked up. “Papa!”

Astrid’s excited voice made him smile. “Good day, darling. How are you fairing with your Aunt Natasha?”

“Aunt Nat had to go on a mission, but I’m staying with Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper.”

“Mm, that’s fine, dearest.” Pepper was a calm, steadying presence in Astrid’s life. “Your Uncle Tony isn’t allowing you to skip your lessons is he?”

“No, Papa. And I wouldn’t even if he let me. I like my lessons. Vision has moved on to Greek Mythology, and it’s so neat, though I think the gods of the Greek pantheon were rather cruel. You weren’t cruel to the people who worshiped you, were you, Papa?”

He winced and drummed his fingers on the sofa cushion. “It… depended on the circumstances, darling. I was more inclined to make mischief.”

Silence held for a moment before she asked, “Did they at least deserve it? The ones you were harsh with?”

“Most certainly, pet.” They always deserved whatever retribution or penance he extracted. “What else have you been up to, sweet?”

“Uncle Steve is letting me fight him today! He says I’m ready, and I’m a lot stronger than I look!”

Concern clutched his heart. “Is that so? Is your Uncle Steve around that I may speak with him?”

“No, Papa. He’s busy in a briefing. Something is happening somewhere. It didn’t sound dire, but they sent Aunt Nat, Peter, and Uncle Bucky to have a look around.”

“That’s just fine, pet. Don’t worry yourself over it.”

“Are you and Alexa having fun?”

He glanced toward the bedroom doors and smirked. “Oh, yes. Much fun.”

“I wish I could go to Paris,” she pouted.

“One day, sweet girl, I will bring you with me. Right now there is far too much unrest around my own mission which I should be getting back to.”

“Alright, Papa! Tell Alexa I said hi. I miss her and you.”

“We miss you too, precious, but we will be back tomorrow as long as things run according to plan.”

“Okay. Bye, Papa!”

“Goodbye, darling.” Loki hung up and quickly dialled another number.

“Rogers.”

“Captain,” Loki drawled.

“Loki. Report?”

“Everything is still on for tonight.” He looked up to find Alexa standing in the doorway wearing his shirt. “We encountered a scouting party last night — two of D’Amour’s people posing as hotel guests. We played the part. Alexa has comported herself as a seasoned professional.”

She arched a brow and smiled, her flame-bright hair falling over her shoulder.

“That’s good. Did you get pictures?”

A smirk twitched his lips. “I’m afraid that was not possible, but if Stark is feeling adventurous, he can hack Le Cave and pull them from the security footage.” Loki followed the line of her sleek legs with his gaze and mouthed the words ‘take it off’ when Alexa started toward him.

She popped the buttons one by one, her eyes heavy-lidded, her movements sensual.

“And the plan for tonight is still a go?”

“It is at that. Alexa and I will leave for the gala in the next hour.” His breath momentarily caught when she shrugged the shirt off her shoulders, revealing the wealth of colourful ink which decorated her arms. Her body was fit and toned, glorious to behold. Even the thatch of hair between her thighs was a vibrant flame of impeccably groomed curls. She placed her hands on his knees, spread them wide, and settled to hers between them. “I will… see his personal computer infected with the virus, then once it is safe to do so, Alexa and I will head immediately for the jet.” He inhaled when Alexa’s hands wrapped around his swelling cock.

“Loki? Are you alright?”

“Perfectly fine, Captain.” He buried his free hand in Alexa’s loose hair and drew her closer until her warm breath was washing over his shaft. “We won’t be returning to the hotel, but leaving as soon as we get to the airport.” He bit his lip to keep from groaning aloud when her mouth sank over him. It was not the first time she’d done so, but it was definitely the most memorable.

“Good. We’ll be waiting to see if the virus takes on our end.”

She sucked hard and made his eyes roll back. “And Captain?” he tried not to gasp, but the words still came out strained. “Injure my child, and I will be your next opponent.” He hung up before Rogers could respond. “By the Norns, pet. You nearly made me come on the phone with the Captain. How scandalous,” he chuckled and tightened his grip on her hair.

Azure eyes danced with amusement and flickering flames as she slowly drew her lips up his cock, her mouth tight, the pleasure intense. It made his jaw lax so enthralled was he watching his shaft appear inch by slow inch.

She swirled her tongue around his head and drew her lips from his tip with a delicate slurp. “That was my intention.”

Her wicked grin made him smile. “Very bad girl. Whatever should I do with you?”

“You should let me work.” Alexa lowered her mouth back to his cock, tongue out and sliding over his flesh. She coated him in saliva then added her hands to the mix.

“Fuck…” Loki let his head fall to the back of the couch and closed his eyes. She was doing that thing again, where she poured sensual heat through her hands and made him ache with desire. The corkscrew twist she was giving his flesh made him moan, and when her lips returned to his head, Loki bucked into her mouth.

She laughed a throaty chuckle that vibrated through his body and punched fresh lust to his loins turning his shaft of stone into one of iron.

Loki had long ago stopped being surprised when it came to bed play, but that was before Alexa. Before she'd wrapped her warm hands around his heart and melted the ice. Before she'd slipped slightly calloused hands down his spine and left behind flames of desire. Before she'd wrapped her lips around his cock and damn near blown his head off.

“Darling, fuck!” he bit out, rolling his head to the side to watch her work her magic. And it was magic. A sensual sort that took his breath away when those azure eyes lifted to lock with his. Her hands and mouth worked in such a smooth rhythm the pleasure was unending. It rolled through him like waves of rippling fire. His sack so tight, his cock so hard, he knew it would be but moments before he succumbed to her incredible mouth. But he fought for a few more seconds, straining to keep himself back; clenching his abdominals so tightly that when, finally, he could hold back no longer, the release left him mute, open-mouthed, and arching toward the ceiling.

Alexa hummed and worked him through it, leaving Loki spent and limp against the couch though he was hard still when she finally slid her mouth from his shaft. It would take more than one orgasm to see his erection soften after the day they’d spent together. She didn’t appear to be distressed by that fact when she rose to climb into his lap and settle slick, wet folds against him.

“How’s Astrid?”

An exceptional blowjob and concern for his child? Could she be any more perfect?

Loki traced his fingers down her back to her bottom and gently massaged the pert flesh. “She’s fine though her stay with Natasha was cut short. She’s with Pepper and Stark now.”

A frown furrowed her brow even as she rolled her belly into his, riding the pleasure brought to her by her connection with his cock. “What prompted Natasha’s leaving?”

“Recon of some kind. It did not sound overly dire. She, Barnes, and the Spider-boy are on it.” He ducked his head to worry her nipple between his teeth, then sucked it into his mouth to her delighted moan before leaving it with a gentle pop. “I for one much prefer our assignment.”

“Fuck, me too,” she sighed, bracing against his shoulders.

Flames flickered in her hair and Loki ran his hand through them. It surprised him still that he could hold them without fear. They were warm, their touch gentle like the caress of a kitten’s tongue, a warning that though they held no danger now, one day they could grow into an inferno of heat. Yet, he knew in his icy melting heart she would never hurt him with her flames. She didn’t have it in her to turn against him in that way. He had no idea what her revelations would lead to, but no one could fake the absolute love and adoration that appeared in her eyes every time she looked at him.

He chuckled softly when her movements grew wilder and tightened the grip he had on her ass to keep her still. “And I thought I had a voracious appetite. You, pet, may yet wear me out.”

Again those azure eyes peered at him from behind dark, dusky lashes. The look in them matched her seductive smile. “I find you temper the flame that has burned in my soul since the start of my life. You soothe the heat. Your ice is like a dip in a mountain lake. Bracing but so worth it.”

The clutch he’d been feeling around his heart grabbed him again at her words. “Alexa.” He stroked his fingers up her spine until she leaned forward far enough he could brush their lips together. “I find your flame has quite melted the ice around my heart. You make me ache, darling. You make me yearn for things I had long ago put aside.”

“Loki,” she whispered, her eyes growing damp.

Suddenly uncomfortable with the depth of his admittance, Loki stood and made his way back into their suite, heading for the bathroom.

“What are you doing?” Alexa asked, her legs firmly latched around his hips.

“Killing two birds, is that not the saying? You need to get ready. I desire to sink back inside you. We will shower and do both.” The water was already running after a quick twitch of his fingers.

“I think you’re the one who is insatiable,” she said, her knees tightening as she lifted herself up, reached between them, and position his cock at her entrance.

“Yet you’re the one unable to wait till we are in the shower,” Loki chuckled, slamming her down on his cock between one stride and the next. They both moaned at the sudden filling. Her at the stretch, him at the sucking, vice-like grip.

He stopped to lean her against the doorframe and press frantic kisses to her panting lips, slowly drawing out only to pound back in.

Alexa's head rolled to the side. “Gods, Loki! If you keep that up, I won’t be able to walk tonight.”

He growled, wanting just that. He wanted to mark her with bites and sucking kisses, leave behind bruises and welts. He wanted to pink her bottom when she sassed him with that smart mouth and leave her tender for days. He wanted her remembering who she belonged to every time she sat down. He wanted everyone to know to whom she belonged when they saw the marks across her chest. He wanted to brand her with his body until she knew nothing but him.

He would soak her in sin, drag her down into the depths of his shadows, and wallow in the heat of her flame.

Her nails dug into his shoulders, her sharp cries filled his ears, and Loki laughed as he hadn't in years. Dark. Deviant. Sensual.

He was going to ruin her.

Loki dragged her from the wall to stride into the stream of falling water and pressed her hard into the tiles, then another curl of magic had her wrists secured above her.

A gasp of excitement parted her lips, and he wasted no time stealing between them, catching her moan on his tongue. The exotic flavour of spices and heat seeped into him and warmed his blood, taking him on a journey of exploration around the cavern of her mouth while skimming his hands along the length of her thighs. She sucked and nipped his tongue as he drew her knees apart and held them cupped in his hands. With the water pouring down his back, Loki released her lips to look down and watch as inch by glorious inch he appeared from inside her tight squeezing walls then slammed back to the hilt.

She cried out, her voice echoing off the tiles, held helpless and captive by him. “Loki, please!”

“You’re so stunning, darling. Your body is made for mine.” He’d never felt such exquisite pleasure with a woman, to the point it was running up his spine in bolts of sensation that gave his skin goosebumps. But watching himself disappear into that wet, tight tunnel was making his head spin. He lifted her legs, pressed her knees back into the wall, and increased his pace.

“Fuck, Loki!” Alexa screamed, completely at his mercy.

He laughed and buried his face against her exposed throat. “I’m going to ruin you.”

She shrieked and wailed with every thrust. Loki ground his pelvis into her clit and tilted his hips up to drag the ridge of his cock over the sweet spot inside her, the one he’d found hours ago that made her frantic and wild. More magic wicked around them, keeping her right where she was while he reached out and grasped the hand-held shower head, flicking a finger to switch the spray on.

Alexa’s eyes went wide. “Loki! Loki, no. No, I can’t!”

“Mm, but you will,” he purred and pressed the pulsing stream of water against her bundle of nerves.

She screamed and bucked, but was spread too far open and tied too tightly to do more than raise her bottom a bare inch. Loki groaned in the same instant for her walls clenched around him the moment the water began to abuse her sensitive flesh. She sobbed a wrenching cry when he started to move again and drag his hard cock through her flexing channel.

Loki released her other leg, leaving her bound entirely by magic to the wall, and closed his hand around her straining throat. His heart pounded in time with his hips. He pressed the water close to her core, moaning with her whimpers as the vibration stimulated him too, and returned his mouth to hers.

“Alexa,” he sighed. “Alexa.”

“Loki!” she wailed.

“You feel like heaven,” he murmured against her, squeezing off her air.

She gasped and wheezed and writhed against him, trying to get closer or away he couldn’t tell. Heat was pouring off her in waves. Such warm he would have been sweating if not for the water streaming down his spine.

He was moments away from losing himself to her body. Seconds away and rested his forehead against hers. “You must come, pet. Come for me. Bathe my cock in your release. Give yourself over to the pleasure.”

She moaned and opened her eyes; the azure rimmed in soft pastel pink. “Loki…”

“Let go, love,” he whispered and tightened his grip on her throat.

Her eyes rolled back, her lashes fluttered, and her walls clamped closed in a grip that milked his cock so sweetly he was unable to hold back. The sound he made was a deep, feral growl of release as he sank into her and stayed there, spent, pleasure saturating every cell, every molecule, every atom of his shaking body. He poured out his seed in a powerful burst that left him breathless and sated.  

“Loki,” she groaned. “The water.”

“Mm.” He dragged his hand away, let the showerhead fall to slide against the wall, and drew his softening length from her body. When he released his magic, he was quick to catch and guide her against him; her groan testament to how he’d abused her poor body. “Are you alright, darling?”

“Everything tingles.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting against his chest while her legs quaked.

Loki reached for the shampoo and began working it through her hair when Alexa seemed uninclined to do it for herself. “Good tingles?”

She nodded and smiled up at him. Her brilliant eyes no longer contained that pink glow, but Loki had seen it. A light of magic she’d never used in his presence before. Intrigued though he was, he didn’t ask. She would tell him when she told him the rest, he was certain of it.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked softly, retrieving the handheld showerhead to cleanse her hair.

Alexa shook her head. “Only in a good way.”

He chuckled and ducked his head to kiss her. It was a fair distance down. Without her heels, the top of her head barely cleared the edge of his collarbone. But her petite size made him feel powerful, more so than ever, and the desire to protect her even as he possessed her was consuming.

When he released her lips, she gave a quiet purr of pleasure. “A girl could get used to this.”

He could get used to it as well. It concerned him that the feeling didn’t concern him.

***

“Darling _Virginia_ ,” Loki called exasperation in his voice. “We must go.”

“Alright, alright. I’m coming,” Alexa huffed and pushed open the door.

His breath caught. “By the Norns…”

The red silk clung to every curve on it's way to the floor, barely covered her breasts. Straps crossed at her neck, curled beneath her arms, wrapped around her stomach and tied at the base of her spine in an elegant bow to keep the halter style dress up. Her hair was up leaving the length of her neck bare along with her back. It was returned to the deep red of her glamour, nearly the same blood red of her lips. Smoky eyes made the azure colour fairly glow, and her only jewelry was the diamond and ruby engagement ring burning bright upon her hand.

“You cannot wear that.”

She had the audacity to laugh. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“I didn’t mean it as one. You cannot wear that dress.” He wouldn’t allow it. It was showing far too much of her once more uncoloured skin.

One sculpted brow arched toward her hairline. “I _cannot_? Did you seriously just say that?”

That was a somewhat dangerous tone, but he chose to ignore it. “You are putting on display what I recently worshiped.” Crossing the room to stand before her, Loki lifted his hand to lightly trace his index finger down the exposed inner flesh of her breast. He could flatten his palm to her heart, spread his fingers, and still barely touch either edge of the fabric covering her breasts so bare was her chest. “Are you so dissatisfied you must flaunt what you have to attract the eyes of another? The hands of another? Another’s ardor?”

Anger flared hot in her cheeks. “You are lucky I don't slap you with a fireball, frosty. At any other time, I would scorch the suit right off your snide, macho hide for saying something like that.” She stepped into him and curled her fingers around his tie. “I am not your property, Loki. We may have had sex, but you don’t own me, and I’m on this mission to be your damn arm candy. This,” she gave his tie a jerk and made him bend toward her, “is a dress made for distraction. If everyone is looking at me, they won't notice when my loving fiancé disappears for five minutes. Now, pull your head out of your ass, knock that chip off your shoulder, and tell me I look pretty.”

“Alexa,” he growled.

“Say it!” she snarled.

He gnashed his teeth together but gave in. “You look bloody gorgeous, and I hate it.”

A smirk twitched her lip. “Play your cards right, and I may be persuaded to let you take it off me later.”

His lip curled up in a snarl. “Fire wench.”

“Frosty asshole.” She smoothed down his tie and patted his chest. “Don’t be a dick, Loki. I’m wearing your damn ring, I can feel where you spent the day with every step I take, and my ass is patterned with fingertip bruises. I assure you your maleness isn’t in question. Show me off. Flaunt me.” Her nail slipped beneath his tie and between the edges of his shirt to stroke a single line of heat over his skin. “Make them all jealous,” she purred.

Loki brushed his knuckles up and down her sternum, lightly tracing the inner curve of her breast with his fingertips before sliding his hand all the way up to wrap firmly around her throat. “You can play your part all you like, _pet_ , but make no mistake.” He dragged her in until their lips were but a hair’s breadth apart. “You are mine. Mine to possess. Mine to own. Mine to covet. Wearing this will do nothing but irritate me, and when I peel it off you later I will punish you for it.”

Excitement burned hot in her eyes, a flush bloomed in her cheeks, and her lips parted on a silky moan.

Loki squeezed until her breath caught and felt lust catch flame inside him. “I’ll pink your bottom, pet if you don’t stop tempting me.”

She bit her bottom lip and dropped her gaze to his mouth. “Maybe I’d like it if you did,” she forced from her throat.

He growled and took her mouth, hard and fast with a sharp bite to her bottom lip before pulling away. “You’re going to find out.”

“Promise?” she purred.

He shot her a hard look. “Maybe I’ll redden that bottom.”

Alexa chuckled - more sass - and picked up a small black clutch. “We have to get through the Gala first.” She looked back at him over her shoulder. “Come along, Thomas. I’m simply _famished_.”

Loki flicked his fingers and left the luggage sitting by the door. Marcel would send someone to collect it and take it to the plane, and there was nothing incriminating in any of it that would give them away as anything but Thomas and Virginia.

“If you insist on wearing that, the least you can afford me is also to wear this.” The shawl he made was as black as night and swung with fringe along the edge. “At least pretend to be cold, darling.”

She smirked at him but gave him her back, allowing him to drape the wrap around her. “I’m the distraction. I’m supposed to be eye-catching.”

She was definitely that. “Let’s go before I change my mind, blow off this mission, and tie you to the bed.”

Heat flared in Alexa’s eyes. “Thoughts for later.”

“Actions for later,” he purred. “There’s a bed on the plane.”

She pulled the wrap around her, clutched it with one hand, and dragged her nail down his chest again, leaving behind more trails of hot seduction. “That there is.”

Yes. He was going to redden her ass at the first opportunity. “You will drive me to drink,” Loki muttered as he took her by the elbow and led her to the door.

“Wait, what about the comms?” she murmured before he could open it.

“Here.” He placed hers in her ear and then tapped his to turn it on. “Check?”

“Check,” she smiled. “Now, the sooner we get done, the sooner we can go home.”

It was funny how _home_ invoked images of the compound and Astrid now, rather than longings of Asgard. He hadn’t been to Asgard in some months, though he’d taken Astrid a few times. Loki didn’t like being worlds away from his daughter, though he wondered what Alexa would think of the golden city and the Bifröst bridge.

She collected the front of her gown, revealing tall black shoes. No wonder she was level with his chin again. “Pray we do not have to get anywhere at speed, my sweet. You’ll break your leg in those shoes.”

“If you think I can’t run in these you’d be sorely mistaken. Plus, all else fails, I’d just take them off.” She shrugged and sauntered down the hall to the elevators.

Loki growled softly to himself watching her ass slide beneath the silk of her gown and caught up in three long strides. “Just what are you wearing under your dress that makes it appear as if you wear not at all?”

Alexa looked up, blinked slowly, and smiled a full baring of teeth. “What makes you think I’m wearing anything at all?”

He went hard as steel in an instant, and his hand went directly to her ass. There was the slightest hint of a seam that sent disappointment rippling through him. “That was horrible of you.”

She laughed her way onto the elevator and turned into him when the doors closed to press her thigh against the ridge of flesh currently straining his pants. “Did I disappoint you, Thomas?”

“Terribly,” he pouted. “My hopes are entirely dashed.”

“Aw.” She matched his pout, then tucked her clutch in his hand. “Hold this.”

“Darling?” he frowned, but she was already pulling up the skirt of her gown and sliding her fingers into the band of the slinky material. Then it was skimming down her legs and pooling around her ankles.

She stepped out of the black satin thong, crouched, picked it up, and tucked it in the inner breast pocket of his jacket just as the elevator doors opened. Her eyes lifted to his, her smile was smug, and she patted the spot before taking her clutch, turning, and gliding off the elevator.

He could only watch her walk into the lobby in amazement. She’d really just done that. He could feel the warmth of her body in the panties resting between shirt and jacket against his chest.

It wasn’t until the doors tried to close in his face that Loki snapped a hand out to stop them and headed after her. He took her by the elbow to guide her toward the exterior door. “That was incredibly rude.”

She giggled and cast him a sultry glance. “You started it.”

“You will put them back on in the car.”

“I will, will I?” she smirked.

He bent toward her ear. “It’s bad enough I can look at you and know there is but a scant swath of fabric between my hand and your breasts, knowing you wear nothing beneath that gown will drive me mad.”

A light of evil intent glowed in her eyes. “After what you said upstairs? You can suck it, _Thomas_. I wear or don't wear what I want.”

Challenge flared hard in his chest. Oh, yes. He was going to spank her bottom red. “You keep pushing, _pet_. See what happens,” he purred.

“Bring it, _honey_.”

He ground his teeth together. She would be the death of him.

At the door, Marcel waited. “Ah, Monsieur Byron. So sad to see you go after such a short visit, but perhaps we will see you and the mamselle again in the future? Perhaps for your honeymoon?” he smiled knowingly when Alexa blushed and played with her ring.

Loki tilted his head. “Perhaps, though the lady has requested the Eiffel suite should we return.”

“Mm, a honeymoon in Paris,” Alexa smiled. “That does sound lovely.”

“We’ll discuss it later, my sweet. We will be late if we linger any longer. Marcel.” He nodded to the man again.

“I’ll see everything sent to the airport, sir. I hope your visit was pleasant.”

“Most pleasant,” Alexa purred and glided outside to the waiting car where the driver had to shake himself free of her spell before he could open the door.

Loki took a bracing breath and followed. It was going to be a long night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter brought to you by @fairlightswiftly through Coffee Updates! Thanks for your support, peach!
> 
> Warnings: none

>

* * *

 

Alexa smiled when Loki handed her a glass of champagne he'd plucked from the tray of a passing waiter. The gala was a lovely event held on the main floor of an elegant old mansion. They'd circled through the rooms, each one decorated to the nines and showing off various regions around the world where D'Amour and his team had delivered clean running water.

If she hadn't known it was a Hydra front, Alexa would have easily been swayed to donate money to their cause. As it was, she did her part by gushing over the pictures of the children while remaining no more than a step from Loki, her hands coming back over and over to linger on his arm or caress his chest.

It flashed the ring he'd created and allowed him to keep her close. As she'd refused to put her underwear back on in the car, finally going so far as to puff them into ash when he insisted the third time, it was doing much to keep him from grinding down his teeth. If she was close, he could keep his hand on her. Proprietary though it was, it created the image they wanted to portray.

Finally, they were encouraged to join their host on the back lawn where beautifully garbed tables had been set to allow them to dine in the company of other wealthy elite. Loki led her to table five and seated them where a place card read Thomas Byron and Guest.

“Am I only your guest, Tom?” Alexa teased.

He plucked it from the table. “Perhaps next year it will read Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Byron.”

Alexa spread her napkin over her lap. “Maybe it will.”

“Darling,” he purred, eyes dark with desire as he leaned closer and kissed her shoulder. “How you tempt me.”

“Byron!” The man next to him clapped a hand down on Loki's shoulder. “It's been years!”

Annoyance flashed in Loki's eyes before he straightened to smile at the heavyset man. “Mcarthur. I would never have imagined seeing you at one of these galas.”

“Well, you know how it is. Got to keep up the image with my work and all.” He sat with a thump that saw his girth rocking the table.

Alexa startled and grabbed for her dangerously tipping champagne before peering past Loki at the leering gentleman, a term she used loosely.

“Who's your arm candy tonight?” Mcarthur waggled his bushy grey eyebrows.

“My fiance, Virginia. Virginia, love, Grant Mcarthur. He's what one would call an Oil Baron from your United States.”

“A pleasure,” she murmured, finding him a little overbearing after only moments of meeting.

He smirked at her chest. “The pleasure is all mine.”

Alexa sat back and tried hard not to roll her eyes. When a younger woman sat down at her right, she smiled, only to have the woman turn up her nose and turn away from her.

She leaned closer to Loki. “Wow. Nice group of people you've got here.”

He chuckled and rested his arm on the back of her chair, drawing her closer. “I never said they were my friends,” he murmured against her ear, his fingers playing on her shoulder. “Besides, you are the most beautiful woman in attendance tonight. Of course, they will snub you out of jealousy.”

“Of course,” she snickered turning to look at him. So close, their lips brushed together, and he took the opportunity presented to kiss her.

Heat smouldered to life in her belly, and Alexa purred in pleasure. “Mr. Byron you're such trouble.”

“Only for you, pet.”

Her core dampened significantly. Now she kind of wish she'd put her underwear back on. The amusement in his blue eyes showed he knew what she was thinking.

“Perhaps next time you will do as told,” he chuckled.

“Darling.” Alexa skimmed her nails down his chest. “I thought you knew by now I never do as I'm told.”

He hummed softly and nudged her jaw with his nose before finding her ear with his lips. “Only when I have you naked and begging,” he whispered.

Her eternal flame roared with desire and had her swiftly looking at her hands, knowing it would show in her eyes. “Behave, Thomas.”

He chuckled darkly. “You started this little game, my love.”

She lifted her lashes enough to catch his gaze. “Don't make me finish it, honey.”

The sudden noise through the speakers had Alexa looking up. D'Amour, their host for the evening, was waving to the clapping crowd and thanking the people cheering for him. Alexa listened idly to him promote his own greatness, expand on the job they were doing overseas, and ask people to give generously when they opened their wallets.

Like everyone else, she clapped for him when he finished, then his face lit up as he caught sight of someone at one of the front tables.

“Monsieurs and madams, I would like to introduce you to the person who makes my life most complete. Who has put together tonight and provided this excellent meal. The love of my life, Cytherea!”

Cold terror tore up Alexa’s spine. “No…”

“Virginia?” Loki murmured, his hand landing on her arm.

D’Amour held his hand down, and the elegant blonde rose to her feet.

“Oh, fuck…” Alexa whispered.

Tall, sleek, and so breathtakingly gorgeous, the woman rose to stand at his side and smile over the crowd, laughing when D'Amour bent over her hand.

Alexa turned to Loki in absolute panic. “That's my mother.”

His eyes widened before darting back to the woman smiling graciously. “Her?”

“Don't sound so surprised!” she hissed, turning her head away when Cytherea looked their direction.

“Look at me!” Loki whispered.

She snapped her gaze to his, then his lips were on her cheek, and the brush of cold came with them. “What did you do?”

“Changed your face, but only for her eyes. You will be unrecognizable.”

“This isn't a good idea,” Alexa whispered. “We should abort.”

“The time is now, darling. We may not get another chance. And if I burn this cover, it could take years to build a new one.”

Tension was tightening her neck muscles, but she knew he was right. “You're sure this glamour will hold?”

“Better than a halo,” he whispered against her ear.

“I hope so.” She had no desire to come face to face with her mother tonight.

Cytherea stepped off the stage, and new speakers arose as waiters began making the rounds with prepared plates.

“You know, Byron, most people consider it rude to monopolize the prettiest girl at the table,” Mcarthur said, leaning around Loki. “What is it you do, darlin’ to have caught old Tom's eye?”

“I'm a doctor,” Alexa murmured, eyeing her meal. She'd never cared for oysters, yet there they sat in their icy bed. Loki too scowled at the slimy substance before grabbing the waiter's arm.

“Thank you, but my fiance is allergic.”

She shot him a grateful look as the waiter apologized and took both dishes away.

“A doctor! Well, shoot! I could've sworn Tom would have succumbed to the charm of some model or actress. Not a doctor. Where'd you two love birds meet?”

“At a camp for Doctors Without Borders. Virginia is a doctor of emergency medicine. Trauma,” Loki murmured, sitting back with his drink.

“A doctor?” A woman across the table asked. Elderly, she virtually dripped diamonds beside her tuxedo-wearing younger man who looked equally as snobby.

“For some time now,” Alexa stated, sipping her champagne.

“I have a grandson who's a doctor in London. Perhaps you know him? Julius Hargreaves?”

“I'm afraid not,” Alexa muttered. What? Did she think every doctor knew every other doctor? Did every stinking rich person know all the other filthy rich people?

“Hm, how unfortunate.”

Alexa managed to keep from rolling her eyes, but just barely. “Well, I have been on sabbatical a while.”

“And perhaps a while longer if I have my way,” Loki smirked and kissed her knuckles, showing off her ring.

“Or maybe I'll go back to work, and you'll have to run on my schedule,” she teased.

“Work? Why ever would you want to do that?” Asked the snooty brunette beside her.

“Because it's invigorating. I'm actively contributing to society by saving someone's life.” She waved her hand at the party. “This is all well and good, but the money will go nowhere unless there are people to put it to use.”

“Ah, mamselle, I could not have said it better.”

Alexa forced herself not to freeze up, but turned to smile at D'Amour, standing just a step behind Loki. Thankfully, her mother was not with him.

“You say you have worked DWB? I would love to pick your brain about it further. I'm thinking of expanding my charitable works to include such a worthy cause.”

“That's so kind of you,” she smiled. “We can always use the help.”

“And Thomas. I see you've found yourself a lovely new jewel for your arm. But it appears you will keep this one, no?”

The slick smile made Alexa's stomach roll.

“When you find perfection, why keep looking?” Loki said smoothly. “Actually, I was hoping to make my donation early tonight. Virginia and I are due back in the states tomorrow for a meeting I just cannot miss. Might we?”

“Oh, but you simply must stay! There will be an auction this year. I was hoping to entice more money from you, my friend.” He tilted back his head and laughed.

“Why don't I increase my regular donation by ten percent? That should forgive our early exit.”

Glee lit the man's dark eyes. “Fine, fine.” He waved a dismissive hand. “But you must finish dinner. Where are your oysters? My lovely bride assures me they are quite the aphrodisiac.”

“Allergies,” Alexa and Loki said at the same time.

“Pity. She's put together quite the menu. I hope you enjoy the rest of it after this rough start. And may I entice the lady into a dance before you go?”

“I'm something of an ox when it comes to dancing. Two left feet,” Alexa forced a blush.

“You simply need a competent partner,” he smiled. “I insist.”

The last thing she wanted to do was dance with him.

“Now, D'Amour, you know I'm a territorial man,” Loki hummed.

“Bah! You keep all the pretty ones to yourself.”

Loki gave him a predatory smile. “You wouldn't want your lady to get jealous now, would you? Because if you dance with mine, I simply must dance with yours.”

He muttered something foul in French before huffing a resigned sigh. “Eh, I will keep my hands to myself.”

“Excellent,” Loki chuckled.

“You're a shrewd businessman, Thomas Byron.” D'Amour patted Loki's shoulder and moved off to speak with someone else.

“I didn't realize you knew our host personally, Byron,” Mcarthur grumbled.

“We've had dealings in the past,” Loki shrugged.

“Dealings or ‘ _dealings’_?” Mcarthur asked quietly.

“I'm not sure what you're implying.”

The ice in his voice made Alexa shiver. There was something about Loki’s voice coming out of Tom’s mouth that just… did things to her. “Whereabouts are you from, Mr. Mcarthur?” she asked before Loki skewered him on a salad fork.

“Grant, please. Born and raised in North Dakota,” he said before slurping down another oyster.

She made small talk, asking questions about his work and the industry he was in while keeping an eye on the other tables. There were a few hundred people in attendance, and she hoped that would keep her out of sight of her mother. Things would go from bad to worse if she were recognized.

Loki leaned toward her when the servers returned with the next course and whispered near her ear, “Relax.” His fingers trailed the length of her thigh and made her tingle, but the tension in her shoulders abated a little.

It took five courses to get through dinner, each one delicious though Alexa hardly tasted them with her heart full of worry, but after D’Amour made his rounds, no more people mingled amongst tables, allowing the presenters to speak. Again Alexa was drawn into the pleas for assistance, finding the stories of children walking miles each day to find fresh water heartbreaking. They did an incredible job of making her want to just open the doors to her bank account and pour out stacks of money. And it made her angry that in this day and age people still lived in such unbelievable poverty.

It wasn’t fair.

When, finally, the last of the plates were cleared, and the last presenter had spoken, people began to rise and wander again. Loki helped her from her chair and led her without haste toward the area set up for dancing. The floor was filling quickly, and she frowned up at him.

“What are you doing?” Alexa whispered.

“Dancing with the most beautiful woman at the party,” he murmured, drawing her into his arms.

“I thought we were leaving?” she asked as she set her hand holding her clutch on his shoulder and let herself sway with him.

“Hmm,” he frowned. “This won’t do.” He released her hand to crouch and collect the train of her gown. Once he stood and again collected her hand, she was free to follow the steps of the sensual music flowing around them. “Better.” His smile was deviant.

Then he moved into her, and Alexa stopped thinking. She hadn’t known he could dance, but when his thigh slipped between hers, and his hands shifted and guided her into steps and turns, it was almost as erotic as sex on the balcony.

“I both hate and adore this dress,” he muttered as his fingers skimmed along her bare back. “I want to peel it off you a little at a time, but I hate how every other man is looking at you and wanting to do the same.”

“Tom,” she sighed, her breast beginning to tingle with renewed arousal.

“I want to take you into the shadows and have you against the wall,” he whispered.

“Oh, god…”

“That’s right,” he chuckled. “I’m your god.”

Alexa’s knees wobbled. “But who’s your goddess?”

He smiled. Dark. Devilish. So very, very wicked. “Only you, sweet.”

Her knees more than wobbled. “I think you should make your donation now,” she murmured as they swayed to a stop in the same place they'd begun.

“Indeed.” He led her from the dance floor toward the man of the hour and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Ah, my friend,” D'Amour grinned at Loki then shook his finger at Alexa. “I think you lie just a little, mamselle when you say you can't dance. You look very comfortable out there with your lover.”

Alexa blushed. “Well, like you said. It takes the right partner.”

Loki wrapped a possessive arm around her waist. “I do hate to duck out early, but we really must,” he said, smiling for D'Amour.

“Of course, of course. Come, come. I'll set you up for the funds transfer.” D'Amour smiled and excused himself from the others.

“Tom, I'm going to take one last look through the rooms,” Alexa smiled and kissed his cheek.

“Certainly, darling. This is the boring stuff,” he chuckled and winked. “I'll find you in a few minutes.”

She watched them walked away toward the mansion, ignoring the admiring eyes. The garden really was stunning, and she wished they could have seen it in the daylight. Still, fairly lights winked and twinkled, guiding her as she returned inside.

Through the com in her ear, she could hear Loki speaking, congratulating D'Amour on his delightful party. Alexa made her way through to the main hall just in time to watch Loki, D’Amour, and three goons climb the stairs to the second floor.

***

“So last we spoke, you were building the hospital in Ibinzo. How has that sorted out for you?” Loki asked as he followed D’Amour down the hall to an immaculate bedroom where a desk, laptop, and chair were stationed.

“Oh, quite well. The community improved dramatically once the clean water program was initiated, but adding the hospital has been both a chore and a gift. So many sick, now well. It is good.” D’Amour led the way across the room. “Perhaps your doctor might want to visit one day. I’m certain she would be of immense assistance.”

“Perhaps.” Loki gave a noncommittal shrug.

“Eager to keep her with you?” D’Amour chuckled. “I do not blame you.”

Taking the chair at the front of the desk, Loki pulled up his phone and the banking app he used, quickly unlocked everything with multiple passwords and a retina scan, added an extra ten percent to his donation, and sent the money almost before D’Amour sat down.

“There you are, my friend.” Loki rose only to find two of the three goons standing over him. “Problem?” he asked.

“No, no. We are simply being cautious and verifying the money.”

Loki called bullshit. They were scanning the transfer to see if anything was riding it. They were spooked, and checking his money for any trace that something had been implanted or embed in the currency. They would, unfortunately for them, find nothing.

D’Amour frowned, glaring hard at the computer screen.

“Did the bank screw up again?” Loki asked. “I swear that’s the third wire transfer they’ve not been able to properly execute this month. At this rate, I will likely be moving my money elsewhere.”

A smile - albeit a slightly confused one - appeared on the man's face. “No, no. We have had problems with our system. One moment more- ah! There. See?” D'Amour turned the laptop to show Loki the funds received.

“Excellent!” Loki rose and held out his hand. “Thank you for the entertaining evening, but I should collect my bride to be and be going.”

“Of course, of course.” The Frenchman shook his hand and held the other to the door. “Abel will show you out. Merci again, my friend. I'm glad you could make it.”

“Wouldn't have missed it.” Loki gave a parting grin, rucked his hands in his pockets and followed the beast of a man named Abel to the door. Behind him, D'Amour was muttering in confusion, wondering quietly if they'd guessed wrong about him.

“My good man,” Loki said cheerfully. “Might I trouble you to show me the facilities before we depart?” Abel the Beast grunted like a bear awoken from slumber but led the way down another corridor where he showed Loki into what had to be a guest suite.

“There.”

He pointed at a closed door, and Loki nodded. “Thank you, sir. Wouldn't do to keep my lovely lady waiting.”

Here a smile quirked Abel's lips before Loki slipped through the suite and in a blink of the eye, sent an avatar through the door he locked with a twist of magic. Now invisible, he snuck around Able while his pretend self whistled as he “worked”.

They had a general idea of D'Amour’s office location, but there were no guarantees; however, Loki still hurried down the hall in that general direction. “On the move. I think you have an admirer, darling,” he teased Alexa.

“Hm? I prefer the man I came in with,” she said softly amongst the revelry of background noise.

“As you should,” he smirked. He arrived at the most likely room and tried the handle. Locked, but a locked door was of little challenge, and a tendril of magic saw the door quietly clicking open.

He slipped in and had a look around. “Ugh. Why do humans think an office must be stuffed to the rafters with books? Is that not what a library is for?”

“Helps them feel important and works to intimidate others when they are welcomed within that Sanctum Sanctorum.”

“How?” Loki muttered, sliding behind the desk and flicking the mouse. Another flick had the drive appearing from one of his many dimensional pockets, and he quickly inserted it into the computer. It began working a second later.

“It says, “Look how smart I am. I’ve read all these books.’”

A beep from his phone was a text coming through from the compound. Stark was in. He needed three minutes. Loki wrote back he had one. Then he cast a glance at the wall of books. “I highly doubt he’s read any of these. They are all Encyclopedia published by the same company in different bindings. It’s clear they are nothing more than wall decoration.”

Alexa chuckled through her comm, then inhaled sharply.

He stiffened. “Alexa?”

“My mother!” she hissed. “I’m heading to the small parlour near the front door. Meet me there.”

“Alexa, sweet. Your glamour is fine. You’ll be fine.” He looked up at the screen, found the bar half finished on the download, and shot Stark another text. _Thirty seconds._ He received a rude emoji in return. “Well, that was uncalled for.”

The voices faded in the background, indicating she had left the party anyway, even with his assurances. “Parlour’s empty. What?” she murmured.

Her lack of trust in his magic annoyed him, but they would discuss that later. “Stark just sent me an emoji that is “flipping me off.’”

She quickly smothered a snort, then cleared her throat. “Are you done yet?”

“Seventy percent.” Her worry was beginning to concern him. “Alexa? Why are you so concerned with seeing her?”

A soft sigh came through the comm. “It’s all part of what I need to expla-” Her words cut off on a sharp inhale.

“Alexa?” Loki jerked to his feet.

“Did you honestly think you could come and go without saying a word to your mother, Alexandrettia?”

The cold, cool way she spoke sent a chill down Loki’s Frost Giant spine. The screen read ninety percent.

“I had no desire to speak with you, Cytherea.”

Ninety-two percent.

“That’s no way to speak to me! I’m still your mother!” Ninety-four. “And take off that foolish face. Did you think such tricks would prevent me from knowing who you were the minute you took the dance floor?”

Loki reached out for his magic, but before he could remove the glamour, he felt searing heat burn it away. Ninety-six. “Alexa, twenty seconds.” She didn’t respond, but he didn’t expect her to either.

“Better. Whatever are you doing here?” Cytherea asked.

“My fiance brought me. Thomas Byron.”

“I see.” The swish of her silk dress came closer. “Your tastes have improved at least, both in men and looks. I approve of the hair and that you’ve rid yourself of those… _tattoos_.”

It was like the word tasted foul coming from her lips. Ninety-nine percent. Loki's hand hovered over the drive.

“I have no need or want of your approval. I came because Tom asked it of me. I didn’t return to Paris by choice.”

“But you are finally living up to your potential, dear. A handsome and very rich man. I’m happy to see you putting what I gave you to good use.”

Alexa snarled something low and nasty in a language Loki wasn’t familiar with. When it hit one hundred percent, Loki ripped the drive from the computer and transported smoothly to the washroom where Able was just lifting his hand to knock. He shut off the water and wrenched open the door. “Shall we?”

“Alexandrettia! How vulgar!” shrieked through his comm.

Abel appeared startled, but turned and led the way to the stairs Loki was quick to descend. “Thank D’Amour again for me.” He gave the burly man’s shoulder a pat and breezed by him, heading for the front of the mansion.

“I learned from the best,” Alexa snapped.

“You learned from your beast of a father!” her mother hissed.

Loki paused where they’d dropped off her wrap and collected it quickly from the coat girl.

“Don’t start in on him! He was the only _parent_ I had!”

“He is a fool and a joke!”

“And yet _you_ slept with him anyway.”

He’d never heard Alexa speak so cruelly. Striding through the door, he found her faced off with her mother. The woman was a vision in white with just the slightest hint of blush pink in the lines of her flowing Grecian style gown. Her hair was swept up in perfect blonde curls, while eyes like sea glass, blue-green in depth, snapped to him at his intrusion. They were a match for beauty, but it was the difference in their eyes that pulled him toward Alexa. Her's were warm and soft, full of emotion, but so lovely, while her mother's were bitterly cold and full of cunning. 

“Darling there you are. I’m afraid we really must go.” He moved to her side and helped her into her wrap. “Madam,” he nodded to her mother who was frowning at him.

“You… you look familiar to me,” she murmured. “Have we met before?”

She held out her hand, but Loki only glanced at it in disdain. Then he felt it. The curl of magic. The heat of a warm, open flame. It was like Alexa’s secret powers but stronger, more potent. It crawled up his spine and tried without success to ensnare his mind.

“I think not,” he said coldly. “Come, sweet. The plane awaits.”

The doors to the parlour and the ones to the adjoining room slammed shut and sealed over. “Who are you?” Cytherea hissed. “What magic is this that you can escape mine?”

A string of curses even Barton would be impressed with ran through Loki's mind. His cover was officially blown. “One who knows not to be so unconscionably rude to his guests,” he snapped, allowing blades to appear in both hands while a wave of his magic sent her sailing into the furniture.

Then a fireball plowed into the wall behind Cytherea and set the room aflame. “Loki! Get us out of here!”

He grabbed Alexa by the wrist and yanked her through a portal that took them out on the street. “What the hell was that?”

“No! Not here! Run!” She shoved at him and took off down the street in her ridiculous shoes.

“Dammit, woman!” He caught her in three strides and swept her into his arms. “Speak!”

An explosion ripped through the side of the mansion followed by a scream of rage that was entirely inhuman.

“We have to get somewhere safe! Far from here!" Alexa urged. 

He looked into her terrified eyes. “How far? Who the hell is your mother?”

Tears filled the azure until they trickled down her face. “She’s calling herself Cytherea now, but the truth is… she’s Aphrodite. The Goddess Aphrodite.”

Loki nearly stumbled, but caught himself quickly and slammed open a portal. He ran through it, ignoring the squealing of car tires and honking of horns when it opened into traffic. A few steps later, he opened another into another city, then turned down an alley and leapt with her to the top of a two-story building. As he jumped from the roof, he opened another portal and fell through it to landed in a heavily wooded area.

He ran through the forest with the speed and balance of a fleeing gazelle, avoiding the rocks and downed trees, leaping down the face of the mountain until the trees thinned at the edge of a fjord surrounded by mountains and forest.

A house was set back from the water, three stories tall and stately. A lodge of dark wood and stone, well weathered by the years and surrounded in mist. Loki set Alexa on her feet and opened the door. “Get inside,” he snapped, anger and fear making the words harsher than he intended.

“I'm sorry,” Alexa murmured, her face tear stained but still so achingly beautiful.

“We'll discuss it in a moment.” He didn't have the time to comfort her. Not now. Shutting the door in her face, Loki darted a few paces away and looked up at the sky as he drew his phone from his pocket. “Heimdall!”

It took only a heartbeat before the voice of the Guardian came to him. “Loki?”

“Open the Bifröst at the compound. I'm sending Astrid to you, and tell my brother I need him here now.”

“Loki?” He could hear the confusion in Heimdall's words. “What is wrong?”

Loki thrust his hand through his hair and dialled the preset number for the Captain's phone before replying to the Guardian. “I may have inadvertently started a war with the Greek Pantheon.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: language, shock, awe, revelations! Mwahahahahaha!!!
> 
> This chapter brought to you through Coffee Updates thanks to @gossamarnie Thanks for your support!

* * *

 

“Loki!”

The God of Mischief could practically feel the weight of Heimdall’s disapproving stare across the cosmos. “I did say it was inadvertent,” he sighed before lifting the phone to his ear.

“Rogers.”

“Captain.”

“Loki! What the hell happ-”

Loki cut him off with a furious growl. “Captain! In a moment the Bifröst will open. When it does, you must take Astrid to Asgard. You can return with my brother.”

“Loki, not until I get an explanation!” Steve snapped.

He thrust a hand through his hair and looked out at the water in aggravation. “I do not have the time to explain everything. My cover is burned. Astrid may very well be in danger. Steve,” he took a deep breath and breathed it out, “I’m trusting you to see Astrid safely to Asgard. I will explain everything once I have more information. For now, Alexa and I are safe. We are no longer in France.”

A moment of humming silence filled the line before a clipped, “Fine,” came to him. “But you need to tell Stark what happened.”

The phone was passed off, and Tony came on the line. “Who you piss off this time, Frosty? Heard there was an explosion?”

Loki ignored the use of Alexa’s nickname though he did roll his eyes. “There was a complication we were not expecting. Thomas Byron needs to disappear.”

“Already on it. The virus took, and we’re in all of D’Amour’s accounts. It’s better than we hoped, Loki. You guys did good.”

“It could have been better.” Loki turned and looked at the house where a soft glow had filled the windows. “Alexa’s mother was at the Gala.”

“Oh, well, shit,” Tony muttered.

“Did you know?” he asked, suddenly angry. “Did you know who her people were when you brought her on?”

“Loki? What are you talking about?”

No, clearly he didn’t. Through the phone, Loki could hear the sound of the Bifröst opening. “What comes next is for Thor and I to fix or finish. When I have all the information, I will call you back.” He hung up and counted the seconds before turning his gaze to the star-speckled night. “Heimdall?”

“Papa? I’m here with Uncle Heimdall and Uncle Thor and Uncle Steve. What’s going on?”

Relief left his knees weak. “There has been a complication, precious. Until I can sort things out, you need to stay on Asgard.”

“But I want to be with you,” Astrid said, quietly breaking his heart.

“I know, my sweet girl. As soon as it is safe, I’ll come and get you.”

“Loki?” Thor murmured. “Are you well?”

“We are. You know where we are. The ward stones will recognize you and let you through.”

“I will be there shortly.”

The connection to Asgard disappeared, and Loki headed for the house, pouring more of his magic into the ground with every step, feeling it swell and hum through the earth as he created layers of protection.

Up the stairs and he was shoving the door open, shutting it with deceptive softness before turning to face Alexa standing before the now glowing fire. She stood wringing her hands, staring at him with worry in her azure eyes.

His strides across the room were long, taking him to her in but a handful where he grasped her by the shoulders and shook her firmly, finally letting his anger loose. “You little fool! What were you thinking?”

***

Alexa stared at the closed door and wondered if she'd ruined everything. He was so angry. Was it that big a deal her mother was a Goddess? Or maybe it was because she was a Greek Goddess. Did the Greeks and the Asgardians have it out at some point? Or maybe it was when they transitioned into the Roman pantheon.

Was he angry because at one point the Romans invaded North and tried to enslave and rule his people? But that was forever ago! Surely he wasn't still holding a grudge. Besides, she was born but twenty-nine years ago. It wasn't like she had anything to do with all that.

Knowing she was doing nothing but driving herself crazy, Alexa turned to take in the house and rubbed her hands on her arms. While she never really got cold, she could still feel the brisk air on her bare skin and called a ball of fire to her hand.

She took in the space before her with surprise. Modern but still somehow rustic, she hadn't expected to find plush couches and leather chairs mixed in with the massive stone fireplace and log beams. The exterior had been so… old. She kind of thought there would be dirt floors and a pit for cooking.

She made her way over to the fireplace carefully. There was very dim light from outside streaming through the windows, but her flames lit the space before her decently, and Alexa gazed up at it in wonder. The sheer number of stones that must have gone into making the fireplace was incredible.

A series of logs waited to be lit in the hearth. She added her flames to them and watched them catch, eat at the wood, and bathed in the heat radiating from them.

The whim struck her to explore, but she didn't know where they were, and she wondered if Loki would be upset if she tried, so she stayed put, wondering if by not telling him all of it at the Opera house if she'd ruined everything.

When the door opened again a few minutes later, she looked up and watched him shut it softly before he was stalking across the floor to take her by the arms and shake her.

“You little fool! What were you thinking?”

She blinked at him in confusion. “I didn't think it was important.”

“Not important!” he snapped. “Dammit, Alexa! Or should I call you Alexandrettia?”

“Alexa is preferred,” she murmured.

He stalked away and thrust his hands through his hair, his Tom persona long gone. “There are _rules_ when engaging with another pantheon.”

“What rules?” She'd never been taught that.

“Perhaps there is a way yet to salvage…” He spun to face her and was back gripping her shoulders. “Your father. Who is your father?”

“Hephaestus.”

“Fuck!” he bit the word out and stalked away to pace the living room. “Fuck!”

“Loki, I don't understand. What rules?”

“Rules to prevent one pantheon from insulting another! Rules that keep both from launching an all-out war at the other! Why do you think it was the humans who did battle over land and territory under the banner of the Gods, not the Gods themselves!”

“Because the Gods couldn't be bothered,” she huffed.

“Because we would have destroyed each other!” he yelled.

She took a step back and stared at him in dawning horror. “Oh, oh no.”

“Yes, now you see. The moment we met you should have told me, even if you didn't wish it known by the others. Thor and I _needed_ to know! There are protocols in place.”

“But I didn't know! No one's ever said anything about interaction with other pantheons!”

“Then your parents are idiots, but it's too late. The damage has been done, and 'not knowing better' is no excuse!”

She flinched at his increased in volume. “So what does that mean? What happens now?”

He paced the length of the room. “Now Thor and I will have to try and negotiate a truce. I assaulted a high-level Goddess in the Greek pantheon. One could also claim I kidnapped her daughter. It would matter little that you came willingly.”

“What! But that's just stupid. I'll tell them we work together. My mother and I don't have anything to do with one another so she can kiss my ass and go to hell!”

“And how well did that work for Persephone and Hades, or are you so naive that you don't even know your own history?”

“But… that's different.”

He stopped long enough to stare at her. “How? Persephone went with Hades because she wished too, but her mother, Demeter, decided to whine to Zeus and then punish the world when she couldn't have her way. What will your mother do if she can't have hers? Withhold Love? Punish humanity by never allowing another couple to feel that emotion? Or maybe she'll withdraw Desire. Keep the planet celibate until I give in to her demands.”

“She couldn't!”

“She damn well could!” Loki roared.

“No,” Alexa snapped stepping into his path, “she can't because as her daughter I have the same gifts. She can try all she likes to take Love from the world, as long as I'm living, she _can't._ ”

Something sharp and wary appeared in his eyes. “Is that what you've been doing with me? Feeding me desire with a heated touch? Warping my mind with seduction like she tried to do?”

Pain pierced her heart. “No!” She shook her head. “Never! What I feel, what you feel, is completely genuine, Loki.”

He grabbed her wrists. “Yet how often have I felt the magic touch of your Desire sink into my soul from these hands?”

She vehemently shook her head. “Loki… I never.”

“Your eyes betray you, Alexa. They glowed pink with your power this morning as I had you pinned to the bathroom wall.”

She gasped and stepped back as far as he would allow her. “But you didn't say anything or show any surprise.” Her eyes narrowed. “How long have you known?”

The wariness hadn’t left his eyes. “I've had suspicions since February. That _is_ your month to hold the mantle of Goddess of Love, is it not?”

She stared at him in shock. “You were in my room, weren't you?”

“Yes.”

A cry of anguish left her lips. “Why! Why would you do that?”

The wariness softened and took some of the hardness from his face. “Because even then my heart and mind were full of you. You kept pulling away. I wanted to know why.”

Hurt by his deception she snapped, “And what did you see? Did you get a good look?”

“I saw only a woman I cared deeply for weeping on her bed with hair of blush and silver.” He frowned and reached for the hair hanging loosely over her shoulder. “Why this instead of that?”

She jacked her chin up. “I don't think you deserve to know that answer.”

His anger flared and chilled her wrist where one hand still shackled her to him. “You promised me everything.”

She growled and yanked on her arm, but his grip was unbreakable. “Because I hate her! I hate everything about her and what she stands for. I won't let any part of her ruin my life any longer.”

“Explain.”

She jerked on her hand, but he still wouldn't release her. “Let go.”

“No.”

Her anger flared up in flames around her fingers, but he simply closed his over hers and snuffed them out. Alexa gaped at her hand in shock. “How… how did you…”

A small smirk curled his lips. “You're in my world now, darling. This is land that has belonged to the Norse Gods since we first came to Midgard. It is our ancestral home, and unlike the Greeks and the Romans who eventually moved away from worshipping your pantheon, mine has stayed intact. Here, the people of Norse faith still turn their eyes to Odin, Frigga, Thor, and yes, Loki. We may not be worshipped as we once were, but people still call prayers to us. Even Astrid, known only as my daughter, is being regarded in the faith of my people. So when you said run, when you said to get us away, I came here where no Greek god or goddess, would ever be more powerful than I.”

Alexa shook her head. “But it's not that simple. Mother draws her strength from _all_ people. Anyone in love, wanting love, desiring love, that's what makes her strong. Same with Dio and his wine. Or my Father and his forge.”

“Yes, that is so for us as well. Anyone on this world tells a lie, makes mischief, or performs a trick gives me power. The people who stand in the rain and smile at the storm, or laugh at the thunder, or feel awe at the lightning give strength to Thor. But _we_ are known here. The name Loki and Thor are synonymous with Gods. People make altars, leave offerings, ask for favours and guidance. We are still _worshipped_ where your pantheon is not.”

She could hardly believe what he was saying. “How do you know?”

He shrugged. “Because I hear them. People still believe in us. They no longer think of Zeus or Aphrodite as anything but myths from a bygone era. If they did, your mother would not have changed her name.”

Alexa was beyond shocked. “I… had no idea.”

“Well, you seem to be lacking knowledge in much of your heritage.” He drew her by the wrist over to sit on the sofa. “I need you to tell me everything, darling. I must have all the facts if we are to stop this before it starts.”

She sighed, then startled when the door swung inward, and Thor appeared. “Brother. Lady Alexa. Heimdall said there has been some… trouble.” He left his axe, Stormbreaker, leaning against the wall.

The brothers exchanged a look that caused Alexa to flinch. “This is stupid.” She tried to rise only to find Loki had still not released her and looked pointedly at his hand. He arched a brow but kept his hand right where it was. “I have nothing to do with my mother. I only ever have contact with my Father, one uncle and an aunt! I’ve never even met my half siblings. I want nothing to do with my pantheon!”

“That is not your choice,” Thor murmured, striding forward to stand before the fire. “You were born into it as I was born into mine, and Loki was adopted. Whether you want to be part of it or not is not a choice.”

“But…” She rubbed her free hand over her forehead. “I’m so confused.”

“Alexa.” Loki cupped her chin and drew her closer. “Tell me of your life. I must know everything. How old are you?”

“Twenty-nine.” He looked shocked. “What? Don’t believe me?”

Loki rubbed his thumb over her lip. “No, it’s not that. You have remarkable control and depth to your powers for someone so young.”

“My Father is a good teacher,” she whispered, hung up on his eyes.

“Tell me.”

She blinked and looked away, suddenly feeling shy with both brothers staring at her. “My mother never loved my father but was forced to marry him by Zeus to prevent the gods from starting a war over who would win her hand. She was unfaithful and has other children by other gods, many other children, but she’s hated my father since he embarrassed her.” She looked up at Loki to see if he knew the story.

“When he caught her with Ares in their bed.”

“Yes,” Alexa whispered. “They parted ways centuries past, but my father had a modicum of success with his art thirty years ago, garnering fame, fortune, and much attention, drawing my mother back to his side. She goes where the attention will be greatest. Where people with applaud her beauty. In a night of drunken success, well… I was the result.” She ran a hand through her hair, dispelling the illusion of her burgundy locks, letting the flame bright ones return. “My father was ecstatic, my mother less so, but he said when I was born, it was like she became a different person. Obsessed and possessive. Driven. I became something she showed off at every opportunity.” A blush burned her cheeks. “Dad said I was a ridiculously beautiful baby.”

“I could see that.”

She smiled at Loki when she found a grin tugging his lips. “She was determined to turn me into her miniature. As a child, there were dance recitals and pageants. Anything at all that showed off her beautiful daughter and brought attention to her. But I was never allowed to run or play in case I damaged myself. I had no friends. If I missed a lesson or spoke out of turn,” she closed her eyes to the memories, “she beat the hell out of me but not anywhere anyone would see.”

“Alexa,” Loki whispered.

“You see why I would never harm Astrid? I couldn't.” She looked up, pleading, hoping he would understand.

“Of course you wouldn't,” he murmured, stroking her jaw.

“She kept me from Hephaestus as much as possible, but eventually he threatened to go to the media. She couldn't have that and grudgingly allowed me to spend a summer with him when I was ten. My whole life _changed_ in the course of eight weeks. My world opened up, and I suddenly found myself immersed in forges, fire, and technology. It was like he unlocked my soul.” Her heart ached just thinking about it. About the bright opportunity he presented her. “I learned what real affection and love looked like as he taught me to channel his powers - to use what he'd given me.” She remembered it with fondness. “If that was heaven, returning to her after was hell. I was so unhappy, but I was ten. I was still cute and pretty and brought attention to her. Dad insisted if she was going to continue using me as a conduit for attention, I would be allowed to study and learn what I wished in school. It worked for a while. I put my “big brain,” as he calls it, to work leaning everything while still catering to her wishes. Then… I turned sixteen.” A shudder raced through her and caused her to fall silent.

“What happened when you turned sixteen, Alexa?” Loki prompted quietly.

“I became my mother's equal.” She gave a soft bark of laughter. “And the volatilaty of her temperment came through with blinding clarity.”

“What does that mean?” Thor asked.

Again Alexa made to stand only to have Loki hold her wrist. “Please. If you want to know, I need you to let me go.”

He seemed to search her eyes for a moment before unlocking his fingers. Alexa moved across the room until she stood with her back to them both. “There is a reason I shut myself away on Valentine's day. It's the one day per year her powers are stronger than my fathers.” Alexa lifted her hands, letting the pastel pink power flow like wispy clouds around her fingers. She brought her hands and the magic up to her face and over her head, pushing back the fiery glamour she'd worn for years.

A soft inhale came from Thor as the red, orange, and gold hair softened into pale pink with streaks of silver and fell to her waist. She took a deep breath and turned slowly to face them, unable to look up when awe at her profile became gasps of horror when they saw her full face.

Alexa brought her hand to her left cheek that bore the brunt of her mother's jealousy. “Someone laughingly commented that her daughter had surpassed her for beauty. She made sure no one would ever say such a thing again.”

***

Loki rose, heart in his throat to cross the room and lift her chin. She trembled, but he soothed her with a gentle noise and soft touch. Three jagged lines scored the side of her face, one bisecting her eyebrow and nose, another damaging the corner of her mouth to give her a most macabre appearance, the third residing between the two.

It may be ugly, but she most certainly was not. He could see if her face had remained unmarked, she would have surpassed her mother a hundred times over for beauty. She was beyond stunning. Soft and ethereal and magnificent. 

He bent then, to place a tender kiss on the corner of her mouth where the scar touched her lips. “We all have scars, love. You should not be ashamed of yours.”

Her lower lip trembled, and tears flooded her eyes. “I'm hideous because of her.”

“You could never be hideous. Even with these scars, you are far lovelier than she could ever hope to be. To me, you are so beautiful.”

The tears dripped down her cheeks. “Loki.” Her arms went around his neck, and she clung to him as all her hurt came pouring out in sobs that soaked his shirt.

Then Thor was there, his eyes narrowed, peering at him with curiosity. His brow arched, a smirk twitched his lips, then his brother snickered softly. “So, it is like that.”

Loki rolled his eyes but didn’t dispute his brother’s assumption. After all, he wasn’t wrong.

He carded his fingers through pink and silver strands and was amazed. He’d never felt anything so soft as her hair. It was as if a rabbit’s fur had combined with a cloud to produce the waves and ringlets cascading down her back.

This was not at all what he’d expected, nor even close to what he’d assumed when he’d scryed her life in her hair. Yes, he’d seen the Greek Gods and Goddesses, but their kind had not been seen nor spoken of in so long, Loki had initially thought they’d died out, and Alexa was a descendant of their race. At most he pictured her a demigod, half human with but a drop of godly blood, but here she stood, a full blood goddess with more gifts and powers than he’d ever imagined.

When she hadn’t announced herself a member of the Greeks, he’d assumed even the demigod status was benign and had begun to relax. Foolish of him to let down his guard. He should have pushed harder. But, even then, he would still be standing there with her gently cradled in his arms. Now that he knew her for who she truly was, there was no way he was letting her go.

He could see now why he was so fascinated by her. Of course he was drawn to a Goddess. No mere mortal would ever call to him as a Goddess would.

She sniffled and leaned back, brought fire to her hands and ran them over her face and through her hair, returning her to the Alexa he knew and the woman he’d fallen in love with. In this form, the scars disappeared, and she was a little harder. Her beauty - though still stunning - had an edge to it; a uniqueness he couldn’t quantify. It shifted her from gorgeous beyond belief, to simply stunning. Though he could never think of her as ‘simply’ anything.

She was Alexa. A fire wench. A flame melting the ice around his heart. She was everything he’d never known he wanted.

_Gods of Asgard. Gods of Greece. Norns save us._ What happened next would at best be entertaining. At worst it could be deadly.

Loki cupped her face when she was finished and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Am I correct in assuming you left to live with your father after this?”

Alexa nodded. “My Uncle Dionysus and my Aunt Artemis helped me leave Europe and return to the States. My Father was livid. Incised. I’ve never seen him so angry.” She sighed but followed him without fuss when Loki returned them both to the couch and sank into it. “Mother wanted little to do with me after. I wanted nothing to do with her. It was Artemis who taught me to change my looks and to fire a bow. She and Aphrodite rarely got along after that whole apple incident, but she was kind to me.”

Loki frowned. “Artemis wanted the Apple of Discord?”

“Oh, hell no! Artemis was just disgusted by Aphrodite’s attempt to win the apple. Mother made the deal with Paris that started the ball rolling toward the entire Trojan War disaster. Artemis can’t be bothered with such foolishness.” Then she smirked at him. “You would know about the Apple of Discord.”

“It’s called the Apple of _Discord_! I was infinitely curious about it,” Loki laughed.

“Please don’t give him any ideas,” Thor snickered. “He’s a tricky bastard as it is.”

She smiled and chuckled before it all fell away, and she looked at them both with serious eyes. “What do we do now?”

“I need to know how bad it is,” Thor murmured looking at Loki.

“I slapped her mother back with my magic prior to knowing who she was. Then left, very quickly, covering our tracks once I knew.”

“Is that why all the portals and leaping off roofs?” Alexa asked.

“Yes. The last one I opened was just outside the border of our land. When we crossed the boundary of the ward stones, they became active. Before I came inside, I set more.”

“Indeed,” Thor muttered. “I had a difficult time finding the crossing even knowing where it was. It has been some time since I have been here.” He looked around the room. “I see you’ve redecorated.”

“Some of us enjoy a few comforts when we get away for a while,” Loki grumbled.

“Hm. Well, all we can do is wait and see if they send a message. Lady Alexa, you might want to inform your father of your circumstances, and the way they came about. Having someone on your side knowing you are here of your own free will may buy us some time.”

“Time to do what?” Alexa murmured. “I really don’t see what the big deal is. Can’t I just… opt out of my pantheon?”

Loki rose to go and stand before the fire. “No. There are only two ways to leave a pantheon. Death and marriage.”

“It hasn’t come to that,” Thor murmured.

“I’m afraid it has,” Loki sighed.

Thor’s eyes widened. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t know she was a Goddess.”

“Loki!” Thor barked.

He waved a dismissive hand.

“Someone want to explain to the girl who _clearly_ needs a lesson in her own life,” Alexa grumbled.

Loki sighed. “Often, gods and goddesses play at being other people. They change their name, their face, their species, but one law holds true. They are still gods. If one god asks another to marry them… it matters little what face they wear at the time, or what name they use in the process.”

“Oh, shit!” Alexa gasped. “Are we… actually engaged?”

He shot a glance at Thor who swore in Æsir and scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “You didn’t.”

“We did.”

“Odin’s beard, Loki!”

“I told you I didn’t know she was a Goddess!” Loki bellowed.

“What?” demanded Alexa, rising from her seat.

He turned to face her, walking across the room to collect her hands. “I asked, darling, you agreed, then we consummated. We are not engaged. We are already married.”

“What!” she shrieked, right before her eyes rolled back.

Loki caught her as she fainted. “Well, that was unexpected.”

“Can you blame her,” Thor smirked. “She just found out she’s married to you. The poor girl is overwrought.”

“You are such an asshole,” Loki huffed, laying Alexa on the sofa and covering her with a blanket.

Thor snickered then moved away and motioned Loki closer. “Now, tell me. Do you want to keep her, or is breaking the marriage one of the things we need to negotiate?”

Loki looked back at Alexa and watched her for a moment. “Every word she spoke was the truth. She deserves better than to be part of some crumbling pantheon.”

“That isn’t an answer, brother.” Thor set his hand on Loki’s shoulder. “She is _your_ wife. Do you want her to remain so? She will be Astrid’s mother if you say yes.”

“Astrid’s mother…” Loki whispered. He hadn’t thought of that, but he couldn’t see Astrid being upset by the change. She adored and admired Alexa, often begging to visit with the woman. Would it be so terrible if Alexa became part of their family?

What if one day they could offer Astrid a sibling? The idea of Alexa growing round with their child left him breathless.

“By the look on your face, it appears I have a new sister,” Thor grinned.

Loki looked at Thor. “And if they want her back?”

Stormbreaker jumped to Thor’s hand when he held it out. “Asgard has far greater forces than they do, and out power has not waned through the centuries as theirs has. If it comes down to a fight,” he tightened his grip, sending lightning whipping over his axe, “they will not win.”

A small wave of relief filled him. “Thank you, Thor. For having my back in this.”

“You love her don’t you?”

Loki glanced at Alexa and smiled. “Surprisingly, yes. I had not thought it possible to find any more room in my heart after Astrid. Alexa was unexpected.”

“You speak to her and touch her in the ways I remember Father being with Mother.” Thor patted his shoulder. “I will return to the Avengers and explain what has happened. I think it would be prudent to return with a few reinforcements.”

“The Warriors Three,” Loki sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Well, Astrid is with Sif. And though I do not think they have the capability of getting to Asgard, I would rather leave Heimdall where he is so that he can maintain his watch. He can still assist from Asgard if needed.”

“Hm, indeed.” Loki nodded his agreement. “I will watch for your return.”

Thor grabbed him and hugged him, pounding a fist into his spine. “Congratulations, brother!”

“Gah! Get off me, you enormous oaf!” Loki snickered, patted his shoulder, and shoved Thor away.

“Go. Comfort your lady. I will return soon.” Thor headed out the door and flew off at the bottom of the steps.

Loki shut the door and went to sit beside Alexa. He cupped her cheek and stroked it lightly, watching as her lashes fluttered open. “Welcome back, pet.”

“Son of a bitch! Did I faint?” she asked, embarrassment flooding her face that she covered with her hands. “I’ll never live it down!”

He snickered softly and drew her hands away. “I will never live it down. Thor now believes the news of our nuptials upset you to the point of unconsciousness.”

“Shades of Olympus… that was real?” she asked sitting up.

“Very.” He waited for her to say something, watching emotion flood in and out of her eyes.

“Oh.”

He tilted his head. “Is that all you have to say?”

She looked at her hands. “Loki… I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how you feel-”

“After yesterday, this trip, and all we’ve shared in the past weeks, you don’t know how I feel?” he asked, taken aback.

“No, Loki!” she snapped, swinging her legs around and thrusting to her feet. “Because we’ve done a lot, and said a lot, but you’ve never said anything about _that_!”

He jerked to stand with her, thrusting a hand into her hair and pulling her head back. “Is that what you need? Do you need flowery prose and declarations of undying love? Are actions not good enough?”

“Loki…”

“You are a Goddess of Love and Desire.” He drew her closer, their bodies brushing. “Can you not feel mine?”

Azure eyes widened. “You love me?”

He tilted his head, arched a brow, and smirked a small grin. “I’ve been fighting the urge to fall for you for weeks. I failed.”

She gasped, then threw her arms around him. “I love you, too!”

“Then I guess you won’t object to staying married.” He skimmed his fingers up and down her spine, relishing the heat from her skin.

“Do you?” she asked. He shook his head. “Neither do I.”

Loki released her hair to caress her cheek with his knuckles. “We will need to speak with Astrid about this. You’ll be her mother now.”

A bit of colour left Alexa’s face. “I…”

He took her chin in his hand and held her still as he brushed his mouth over hers. “You will make a wonderful mother. She already adores you.”

Alexa swallowed thickly, but what concern had trickled into her eyes had been replaced by desire. “You really think so?”

“I know it,” he assured her.

She shot a quick glance around the room. “Where’s Thor?”

“He left to update the others and return later with backup,” Loki murmured, his hands drifting over her shoulders and back. “We have the house to ourselves for a few hours, and I have a promise to fulfill.”

“What… what promise?” she sighed, her body softening into his.

A smile, wicked and wide, curled his lips as he bent to whisper against her ear, “I did say I would punish you for wearing that dress, darling. I think it’s past time I followed through with my threat.”

Before she could speak, protest, or run, Loki swept her into his arms and headed into the dark interior of his home.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Fluff, smexy, more fluff
> 
> This chapter brought to you through Coffee Updates thanks to @the-stories-in-my-head-95. Thanks for your support!

* * *

 

Curled up in the big bed together, Alexa drew small circles on Loki’s bare chest. They’d spent the last hours loving and learning each other again after he’d ‘punished’ her for her insolence, and hadn’t that been fun. Now she just wanted to bask in the comfort his presence offered, and relax in the most amazing bed she’d ever known.

It was enormous and made out of massive logs that had been carved into symbols and creatures which meant little to her, but must be important to him to have kept them all these years. And yes, she knew they were old for the logs were polished smooth with years of use. The bed sat low to the ground, a pile of furs and pallets, thick white comforters and pale gold sheets. It was like living in a bygone era within the walls of the rustic room. More plush pelts covered the floor, and another stone fireplace glowed with flames in the corner.

“This place is amazing,” she murmured.

“It’s home in a way the compound never could be, though it pales in comparison to Asgard.” He rolled toward her and pressed her back into the bed, then sank his fingers into her hair and fanned it out over the pillows. “Would you show me again?”

Alexa frowned. “Show you what?”

“Your true face.”

“Why?” She didn’t like revealing it, and she'd shown it to him once already.

“Because I have something to show you, and I would like to see it again.” He rubbed his knuckles over her cheek. “And you have no reason to hide yourself from me.”

“Loki…”

“Please, darling.”

His eyes were so soft and blue; she was helpless to deny him. Her power washed over her in warm waves of pink. Then she could feel the pull of the scars on her skin and looked away.

“Alexa, look at me.”

She sighed but lifted her gaze back to his only to gasp. “Loki?” His skin was blue, his eyes were red, and there were intriguing lines and ridges of raised flesh on his face.

“This is my true face.” Then he captured her hand and brought it to his chest. “And these are my scars.”

Her gaze darted down, and a new gasp flew from her lips. “Oh, my god, Loki!” She shoved him to his back and straddled his hips, turning his body to the light so she could see better. “Shades! What happened?”

They were horrible jagged lines of raised flesh and white lines that could only come from being whipped often and repeatedly. Alexa splayed her fingers over his stomach where puckered skin ran from navel to hip bone. It was a burn the likes of which she'd never seen before.

“Most people are unaware that my involvement with the Chitauri was not by choice. They broke my body; then they used the sceptre to break my mind. By the time I invaded the Earth, I was no longer… myself.”

“Oh, Loki,” she whispered, tears dripping on his skin as she stroked her hands over him.

He sat up, and she slipped down into his lap, then he was tenderly touching her cheek, following each line with a gentle finger. “We both hide scars we’d rather not show the world. I’m not proud of mine. They remind me far too often of my failure to resist my captors. Yours speak to your mother’s betrayal and a terrible time in your young life, but you need never hide these from me.”

He bent down and placed a kiss on the corner of her mouth, then followed her scar along her cheek. “I think you are so beautiful,” he whispered. “No creature in the known or unknown universe can compare to you.”

“It’s so ugly,” she murmured, voice trembling.

“It is only a scar. Nothing about you could ever repulse me.” A ripple of magic washed over him, and the blue of his Jotun form disappeared beneath pale flesh.

Her heart felt heavy with how much his words meant to her. “I think you're beautiful too. In both skin.”

Loki smiled and ran his hands through her blush hair. “I'm glad, darling. My human glamour is difficult to put off. It takes effort as my true form remained hidden from me for so long. This flesh, like your fire form, is more my true face now than my blue skin.” Then a smirk twitched his lips. “But you do realize I am a master of illusions.”

“Of course,” she frowned, confused by his segue.

His fingers returned, trailing over her cheek, nose, and brow. Then a small mirror appeared in his hand. “Look.”

She did, for the first time in years, and gasped. “They're gone!”

“Only hidden. If you wish to wear this face, I can keep them that way. Though I do not take issue with any of you, Alexa, for your comfort I would do this.”

It was sweet, but she shook her head. “I prefer my other form. I'd rather scorch and flame than warp minds. Mother was always playing with people's heads. Making them want her and then denying them.” She leaned her head on Loki's shoulder and smiled when he laid back down, taking them into the sweet bliss of soft bedding again. “I never liked how… dirty what she did made me feel.”

“Unfortunately, your pantheon was known for its cruelty and underhanded dealings. Father and Mother often kept an eye on them to make sure they weren't interfering with our people.” He chuckled, and it rumbled beneath her ear. “When the Romans began branching out, we let it go for a while, but eventually, their encroachment on our people’s rights became more than we were willing to ignore. I had many a pleasant interlude making mischief for those soldiers.”

“I thought the Gods didn't participate?”

“I never said that. We do not battle each other. That doesn't mean we don't get our hands dirty.”

“And if my mother decides to fight?”

His fingers trailed down her spine. “I will not give you back, Alexa. You are mine now.”

She fell silent for a few minutes. “I should probably call my father like Thor suggested.”

“Yes. He will be back soon with the others. I would rather Fandral not see you like this.” His fingers tangled in her blush hair and lifted the locks to his nose. “Wildflowers. I could smell this scent that night in your room.”

“Do you prefer it?” she asked softly.

“I find I've grown used to the scent of fire and hot spice that intoxicate my senses, my little fire witch. Your appearance as I first met you drew me in. The hair, the tattoos, even the shredded jeans and cut up t-shirts. You were like no one I'd ever met. That is the Alexa I fell in love with. This one is simply a bonus to what I already adore.”

She smiled against his skin, happy he accepted her. Then she trailed her fingers down to his hip where the scar of a flame whip had lashed his blue skin. “You said you knew the kiss of flames. Was it a flame wraith that did that to you?”

“What better way to torture a Frost Giant than with heat and flame,” he murmured.

“Do the others know?”

“They know enough.” He rolled her to her back and kissed her, effectively ending the conversation, though Alexa had not planned on asking any further questions. If he wanted to talk about it, he would. Still, he kissed her until it felt like her brain melted along with the rest of her body, then pulled away to rise and remove himself from their bed. “I have furnished you with a wardrobe appropriate for this climate in that closet,” he flicked his fingers toward it, “and have left your phone on the dresser within. I'll leave you to make the call.”

Green and gold light shimmered over him and saw him garbed in black pants and a dark grey cable knit sweater. It was so at odds with how he usually dressed, Alexa could only stare as he left the room without looking back.

Here was another facet of Loki she'd never seen before, looking comfortable and relaxed, at home in the cold climate with his dark hair back to curling on his shoulders.

How little did she really know him? She knew the guarded Avenger, the doting father, and the undercover rake, but this was new. He'd shown her the passionate and giving lover. Was this then the face of the man who was a husband? Comfortable. Relaxed. A man at his leisure?

She didn't know, but she was looking forward to finding out.

She climbed quickly from the most excellent bed and walked to the door he'd indicated was a closet. Funny. She hadn't noticed a door there earlier. When she pushed it open, Alexa could only smile and shake her head. The man was made of magic. It shouldn't surprise her his house would be the same.

***

Loki looked up when Alexa walked into the kitchen. Her hair was again a cascade of fire down her back, black jeans on her legs, fuzzy socks on her feet, and a thick white sweater would keep off the chill and damp from the water.

Then he noticed the red around her eyes and nose. “Alexa?”

She gave him a sad smile. “Dad didn't take the news as well as I'd hoped.”

He set down the cup of tea he was preparing and crossed to her instead. “He objects to our relationship?”

“What? Hell no!” Relief loosened the ball of lead in his stomach. “He's _pissed_ at Aphrodite.” She sighed and leaned into him, her arms going around his waist. “When I told him how this all came about, he melted his phone. I had to call him back. I guess he thought she'd taught me all these things. The guidelines were supposed to be taught to me as a little kid, but she didn't. He kept apologizing for not being more thorough. For failing me.”

“He didn't ask you about it when you came to work for the Avengers?”

“Oh, he asked,” she sighed. “He said, “So you introduced yourself to the Asgardians?” And I was all, “Of course I did.” And then I spent thirty minutes telling him what a jerk you were.”

“And what did he have to say about that?” He wondered if Alexa's father disliked him.

“He said you were old-”

“I beg your pardon!” he gasped.

“-fashioned,” she giggled, “so you would have _opinions_ about me that may differ for a while. I'm not exactly subtle or refined.”

He closed his hand in her hair and tilted her head up. Short without her shoes, she was required to look a long way up. “Who wants a subtle flame? And you are a most elegant woman, regardless of your clothing.” He bent to kiss her but froze at the tingle down his spine. “Someone tests the ward stones and boundaries. Stay here.”

“I can go with-”

He laid his lips on hers to silence her offer. “At the moment, darling, you are the prize we are protecting. Your presence out there will only bring more dissonance.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I'm not a prize to be won, Loki… whoa… Aladdin flashback,” she snorted a giggle.

“I know that, my love,” he smiled, cupping her chin, pleased to see the sadness gone from her eyes. “But you are a treasure to be guarded fiercely. I don't plan on giving you back.” An idea came to him and made him chuckle. “In fact, here.” He turned his hand over and held out a golden apple.

“Seriously?” she grumbled, plucking it from his palm. “After my family's history with apples?”

“This is not an Apple of Discord, but an Apple of Idunn. They give us Asgardians our longevity. Eat it and cement your place in our pantheon.”

“Loki…” Alexa hesitated.

He only smiled. “No pressure, but eating that apple will force them to acknowledge you made a conscious choice to stay with me. You know you're history, you know Persephone's story. No one can refute that, so I am offering you temptation in the form of a golden apple.”

She smirked and shook her head. “You really are the God of Mischief.”

“It's what I do, darling,” he chuckled before heading for the door. “Stay inside. The house is protected against all but the most trusted of my friends and family. No one can get in without invitation, so should - somehow - one of your relations make it past my borders, they can only get to you if you are foolish enough to open the door.”

She rolled her eyes as she followed him out of the kitchen, back into the living room. “I'm not a child, Loki, nor an idiot no matter what my lack of knowledge may imply.”

He paused with his hand on the door handle. “You are far from stupid, Alexa. I find you quite brilliant, but your education _is_ lacking.” With a flick of his wrist, two books landed with a thump on the coffee table. “A start to correct another's mistake.”

“Being a Goddess for Dummies?” she quipped.

Her mild annoyance made him chuckle. “Not quite. Rules of Pantheon Relations, and the Gods and Goddesses of Asgard and their legends.” There were a few open positions within that list. In time, they would find into which one Alexa fit.

Loki opened the door and stepped outside. “The first rule of being Asgardian is simple, love.” He shifted his clothing to leather and armour and watched her eyes warm with appreciation. “Everything is the will of the Norns. Even how we came to be.”

She arched a brow, and he closed the door on her contemplative look.

Once down the stairs, he glanced up at the inky blanket speckled with stars and shifted forms to that of Great Grey Owl. Silent wings and light absorbing eyes would allow him to reach his destination without being noticed by whoever was doing the probing.

The forest was quiet, but not preternaturally so. The animals knew him, and while they were wary, they were not afraid. He just happened to like running through the trees on four legs, and if his teeth were rather sharp at the time, well… he couldn't fault them for being cautious. He wasn't about to leap out and attack a deer, but they didn't know he'd rather enjoy his venison with a nice Mourvedre and stimulating dinner conversation than straight off the hoof.

He landed silently in the branches not far from the male poking around. Moments later, two ravens landed with barely a rustle beside him. Huginn and Munin were unmistakable.

It seemed Odin had taken an interest.

While the featherheads were mostly useless, Loki had a wicked idea and shifted his form to join them, then brought an avatar into existence directly before the person poking at his barrier when the man shot a nervous glance over his shoulder.

“Most people,” Loki stated, causing the person to jump, “are not so rude as to prod another man's magic.”

“Shades! You scared the Hades out of me!”

The man was young, too young to be one of the original Gods, but he wore the emblem of Olympus on a chain around his neck.

Messenger _._ A descendant of Hermes if Loki wasn't mistaken.

Loki crossed his arms. “You are a long way from home, little Olympian. State your business and be gone.”

“I'm… I'm to give this to the ruler of the Asgardians.” He held out the scroll closed with blue ribbon and baring the same silver seal.

“And who, pray tell, might that be?” Loki asked.

The kid flushed a brilliant red. “Um… Odon?”

He could only gape for a moment before exploding with laughter. “Oh, oh, that's good! I'll be sure to tell my father that one. Give me the scroll, and I will pass it on.”

“They said,” he swallowed thickly, “only to the king.”

Loki cocked his head. “Are you descended of Hermes?”

“My grandfather.”

That explained much. The messenger's powers had faded with his diluted blood. This… _boy_ was barely a demigod. Had it been Hermes standing before him, the stench of fear would not be dripping from his pores. “And where is Hermes these days?”

“He died. Five or so centuries ago.”

“Hm, pity.” Loki turned to walk back into the forest.

“Wait! What about this?” The boy held up the scroll.

Loki in his raven form spread his wings and launched himself from the branch, Huginn and Munin joining him, and swooped beyond the barrier to snatch the scroll from the boy’s hand, ducking back inside the protection created by his magic before anyone could stop him.

His avatar grinned. “Consider it delivered. You may wait there for a response,” he said and vanished out of existence as Loki, and the ravens flew away.

***

Alexa set the apple on the coffee table and picked up the book she had decided to dub “Godding for Dummies” before settling on the sofa. The book was thicker than she’d expected and made her cringe a little at just how many rules there were when dealing with other pantheons. Still, she was determined not to make another such grievous error in the future and flipped it open to the first page.

_To prevent the fall of Gods and Men, these laws shall henceforth be set as the definitive rule by which pantheons shall interact as set down by the heads of all the great houses of Earth after the reaping of the Atlanteans._

“Whoa! Hold on a second! Atlanteans?” she gasped. “You can’t just throw something like that at a girl and not add any damn details.” But, as there was no one around to ask, she could only stew in frustration before returning to the book.

_As all Gods have the right to move through the realm of man, these laws shall be paramount when contact between two occurs. As demigods hold half the power, these self-same rules do not apply. See subsection D for more information._

Tempted to skip ahead, Alexa curbed her curiosity and kept reading.

_Introductions shall be made upon that first meeting. If one God is known, it is the responsibility of the unknown to make the introduction. In the case of two unknowns where suspicion abounds, a set inquiry follows thusly. “Well met, my lord/lady. I am (name), a son/daughter of (pantheon).”_

_A response of, “Peace be with you. I am (name), a son/daughter of (pantheon),” should follow immediately, establishing proper protocol and allowing one to navigate the potentially messy waters._

The formality of it made her eyes cross. Who talked like that? Shaking her head, she made to go back to reading when the door was flung open.

“Colder than a Gjallar’s ass tonight,” the blonde grumbled, striding inside only to stop and stare at her. A smile curled his lips into a seductive flirt. “Well, hello there, lovely.”

Alexa closed the book with a snap when he took a step toward her, held up her hand and rolled a flame across her knuckles as a warning. “I’d hate to singe that pretty cape, but I will if you come any closer.”

A booming laugh preceded a man whose hair was almost as red as hers with a gut like a barrel. “Fandral, your powers of persuasion are failing you!”

“The lovely lady simply doesn’t know me well… yet,” he smiled at Alexa and swept her a bow. “I am Fandral the Dashing, fresh from Asgard, and at your service.”

“Peace be with you, Fandral the Dashing. I am Alexandrettia Calida Agapi Celosia, a daughter of Olympus,” she grinned as he gaped and ran her flames through her hair.

“Nicely done, Alexa,” Thor chuckled. “You’ve managed to make Fandral speechless, but you are no longer a daughter of Olympus. You are a daughter of Asgard.” He patted the shoulder of the short, dark-haired man who entered before him. “My friends, Alexa is Loki’s new wife.”

“Wife!” Fandral barked. “I think you’ve left out a few details when you had Heimdall send for us, my king.”

“There are pressing matters at hand. Telling you one thing out of context seemed foolish.” Thor waved a dismissive hand. “Alexa, these are Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun. The Warriors Three.”

“I'm sure you've heard of us though,” Fandral grinned.

“Can't say that I have,” she said, tapping a finger on her chin.

Truthfully, Astrid had told her all about the three men and Lady Sif who were Thor's closest companions, but Fandral appeared overly fond of himself, and she was enjoying disconcerting him too much to quit now.

The one named Hogun had his lips twitch. “She will suit Loki, I think.”

“As we have no plans on parting, that's a good thing.” Alexa looked at Thor. “How'd things go at the compound?”

“As to be expected. Questions. Anger. Confusion. Typical of humans when you tell them to stay out of something. The Captain and Barnes scowled. Stark blustered, but in the end, I explained this was a matter between God's and pantheons. Adding men to the mix would only muddy the waters. Now,” he left the axe leaning near the door and came to sit beside her as the other men made themselves comfortable, “did you speak with your father?”

“I did. He's beyond angry with my mother for not properly educating me. After explaining what happened and that my choice remains Loki, he said he was happy for me. He, Dio, and Aunt Art will all stand with us should it come to that.”

“I'm lost. What's happened?” Fandral asked, sprawling in a chair near the fire.

“Alexa's mother is the Goddess Aphrodite,” Thor explained, immediately causing Fandral to perk up. “Alexa was not properly educated in regards to pantheon protocols, and therefore did not know to introduce herself to Loki. They went on a mission, posed as lovers, became engaged to further their undercover personas, and then… ugh…”

She found it amusing that he was blushing. “Loki and I had sex.”

“Lady Alexa!” Thor huffed. “A well-bred woman doesn't speak so blatantly in mixed company.”

“Thor,” Alexa smiled sweetly to cover her amusement. “I'm the embodiment of Love and Desire, Flame and Forge. _Sex_ isn't something you can muzzle me on. Loki and I have sex. A lot of it. Frequently. Repeatedly. Anywhere we damn well please. I won't censor what I am anymore. Loki accepts me, flaws and all,” her hand snuck up to her cheek, “and that's what matters.”

A bit of guilt showed when he winced, following the direction of her hand with his eyes before he was taking her fingers from her face and holding them between his big palms. “Forgive me. You are correct. It has simply been some years since we had a Goddess of Love in our midst. Aunt Freya left us to pursue her mate across the galaxies and never returned. Asgardians are a passionate people. We love strong and deep and are openly affectionate. We would never censor your powers. It is simply the word I take offence to. Sex is so… clinical.”

She laughed and shook her head. “You're a romantic, Thor. I can tell.”

He cleared his throat but didn’t refute her assumption. “During their mission, Alexa’s mother happened to be in attendance and confronted Alexa. When Loki went to retrieve her and get them away, Aphrodite tried to stop them. Loki lashed out and then ran off with her daughter.”

“Odin’s beard!” Volstagg gasped. “He assaulted a ranked Goddess?”

“Accidently, yes. He had no way of knowing she was Aphrodite. Alexa was never taught to introduce herself properly.”

“So all of this, their marriage, the attack, it was all a series of unfortunate accidents?” Fandral asked.

“Even so,” Hogun murmured, looking very dire, “many of the rules of engagement have been broken. This is bad, my king.”

“I know,” he sighed and changed the subject. “Where is Loki?”

Alexa had flinched with Hogun’s words. Just how bad could it be? Was there something they weren't telling her? “Someone was poking at his magic. He went to investigate.”

Thor immediately jerked to his feet. “You should have told me at once!”

“Sit yourself down,” Loki huffed from the doorway. “It was only a messenger. A poor excuse of a demigod who was terrified.”

He walked inside, and Alexa peered curiously at the ravens sitting on either shoulder. One flew up and landed on the beams high above while the other flitted over to roost on the mantle above the cheerily burning fire.

“Father has taken an interest,” Thor murmured, eyeing the birds.

“Sorry, I’m not up on my Asgardian lore. Who are they?” Alexa asked, knowing there was more to the two ravens than just birds.

“The feather brains are Huginn and Munin, Odin’s spies.” Both ravens hissed at Loki who only waved a hand, returning his comfortable clothing of earlier and dismissing them at the same time. “Deny it all you like. We know you will run home and tell him everything that was said.”

“Or let him watch through your eyes. If Father is that inclined to be involved, he is welcome to join us. I’m sure he’d like to meet his new daughter in law,” Thor smirked.

Alexa hadn’t known a raven could make a face that portrayed his annoyance so well, but the bird on the mantle looked incredibly put upon at the moment. She bit her lip to keep from laughing, not wanting to offend their father if it was Odin who controlled the bird.

“Now, should we see what your mother has to say, darling?” Loki held up the rolled scroll with the seal of Olympus stamped in silver wax.

“Maybe this is a bad idea,” she murmured, eyeing the apple mocking her from the table. “Maybe I should just go back?”

Loki was instantly at her side, crouched at her knees, the scroll lying forgotten on the table. “Who upset you? Why would you want to leave me? You cannot go back to that woman!” he snapped, getting more frantic with each sentence.

She reached out and cupped his face. “I don’t _want_ to leave you, but this is all my fault. Ignorance is no excuse, isn’t that what you said? I should return home to face the consequences of my actions. That’s the right thing to do. Then this, whatever this is, will all go away and no one will be fighting, and no one will get hurt.”

“Or you could eat that damn apple and stay with me where you belong!” he barked, pointing at the one on the table.

“Where the hell did that come from?” Thor muttered. “How do you have an Apple of Idunn here?”

“I may have kept two or three after we stole them back from the Frost Giants.”

“Loki!”

He rolled his eyes, making Alexa snicker. “What? It wasn’t as if _you_ even knew they were missing.”

“That’s not the point!” Thor snapped. “Those apples are never to leave Asgard!”

“Those apples are what keep Astrid’s magic in check!” Loki snarled. “Or do you wish my daughter to run wildly out of control?”

Thor looked stricken. “Freyja’s tits, Loki. You never said… how many has she eaten?”

“Less than two. I gave her half of one shortly after that incident with Stark’s blaster, and another the last time we visited Asgard. She’s too young for all that power, brother. The apples are helping balance her immaturity. We may need one once every few centuries, but Astrid needs them more often. I calculate she’ll require another when she turns twenty-five, at which point I will allow her to choose her own from the tree. So far, I have only chosen the newest, smallest fruit for her, ones of less potency. I do not want to stunt her growth or slow her ageing.”

Thor sat with a thump that transferred to Alexa’s end of the couch. “Dammit, Loki. You should have told me. She’s my niece, and I love her as much as you do. I would have helped if I’d known.”

“It wouldn’t do to involve the King of Asgard in my plot to plunder the Apples of Idunn, Thor,” Loki grumbled, turning his attention back to Alexa. “You, my love, will be going nowhere. Your concerns, though valid, will not be solved by some act of sacrifice. I slapped your mother back with _my_ magic. She will not forgive that because you return home to fall on your sword. You are my wife, Astrid’s mother, and belong at my side. _I will not let you walk away from me_ ,” he growled.

“Possessive much?” she quipped, her lip twitching to contain her smile. His eyes flared green, and lips pulled back, much like the wolf he resembled with all that growling. Before he could snark at her, she smirked and bent to kiss him by pulling his lower lip between hers and sucking gently until his mouth relaxed and he kissed her back.

She could feel ripples in her magic as Love and Desire rose to mix with the heat of her Flames. It was difficult to separate the two when she could feel the passion in him, the adoration, and yes, the deep, abiding love.

When she finally released him, he blinked, and it took a half second longer than usual for his eyes to lose the glaze of desire. His brow arched and a smirk tugged up the corners of his mouth. “You’re hair gives you away, my sweet.”

She shook it forward and found streaks of silver and pink clashing with the reds. “You muddy all the waters, Loki. You pull at every part of me.” Then her hand shot to her face in fear.

“Darling, stop.” He tugged her hand down. “It was only your hair, Alexa.” Then he was scooping her up and exchanging places with her, settling her in his lap. Against her ear, he whispered, “Now that I know your secret, I would never allow you to be embarrassed that way. Should you slip, love, I will be there to keep your glamour in place.”

She turned her head and buried it against his neck, fighting hard to keep from crying on him. “Thank you.”

He kissed the crown of her hair and stroked his fingers lazily up and down her back. “Everything will work out, _brannhjerte_. Even if we must fight to keep you, you are ours now. Mine and Asgard. We do not give back what we claim ours to protect.”

She looked up at him. “What’s that mean? The word you said?” The rest filled her heart, but the word whispered in his seductive voice curled in the pit of her stomach like living flames.

“ _Brannhjerte_ ?” he asked, wicked smile in place. When she nodded, he leaned closer and brushed their lips together. “It means _fire heart_ in Aesir, the language of Asgard.”

A shiver racked her spine. “Why?”

“Why that endearment, _brannhjerte_?” She nodded, finding her tongue tied in knots. “Because you are the fire that has warmed me and melted the ice in my soul. Your heart is a thing of beauty, burning with passion and flame. You, Alexa, are the fire heart.”

“Loki,” she sighed, overwhelmed with emotions.

He played with her hair, his smile soft before he placed a kiss on her forehead. “Everything will work out, _brannhjerte._ You will see.”

Loki glanced at Thor who reached for the scroll but hesitated before he broke the seal. “Did you check this?”

“Of course.”

Alexa frowned. “Would someone do something to a message?”

“In a bygone era, it was not uncommon. Now it would be considered a heinous breach of protocol, but it is always good to be cautious,” Loki explained.

“Speaking of,” Alexa murmured, watching Thor crack the seal and pull open the scroll, “Atlanteans, Loki? Atlanteans! You just dump that piece of information on me and don’t bother to expand on them. Freaking _Atlanteans_?”

He had the audacity to chuckle, but the smile slipped when Thor’s face darkened in rage. “Brother?”

Thunder rolled and crashed overhead before a bolt of lightning slammed into the ground outside the windows.

“What? What’s it say?” Alexa whispered, terror filling her.

Thor stood and paced toward the fire where he stood reading the message a second time. Then he spoke and what little hope Alexa had died.

“Esteemed Odin, King of Asgard and the Nine Realms, it is with regret that I, Zeus, King of Olympus, God of Sky and Thunder, Ruler of Jupiter, son of Cronus and Rhea, Defender of Men, and Titan Destroyer do bring to your attention the actions of your son, Loki, God of Mischief.

“During a party on Earth, he assaulted Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Lust, the Most Beautiful, Ruler of Venus, daughter of Zeus and Dione, and made off with her beloved daughter Alexandrettia Calida Agapi Celosia, Goddess of Love and Desire, Flame and Forge, heir to Venus and Vulcan, and has taken her to the Asgardian ancestral home in Norway.

“Aphrodite is heartbroken. Her tears are unending. She has not the will to continue to let Love flow out in the world knowing her daughter is being held captive by the Trickster God of Asgard.

“For the good of the world, I demand you collect your son, sequester him on Asgard and never allow him to return to Earth on the threat of death. Alexandrettia Calida Agapi Celosia must be returned to us within two days time, unharmed and unsullied, and the daughter of Loki, Astrid of Asgard, will be given as a royal hostage to be raised and trained by Aphrodite in exchange for her forgiveness.

“Failure to comply will result in immediate action taken against your pantheon. We do not want war, but this insult will not go unpunished. Zeus, God of _blah blah blah,_ ” Thor muttered, balling up the paper he then threw in the fire.

“Well, isn't he full of himself," Fandral scoffed. 

"Indeed. All those titles, yet he fails when including ours?" Thor rolled his eyes.

"You have four names?” Loki asked peering down at her. “How did I not know this?”

“Really?” Alexa gaped at him. “ _That’s_ what you took from his message!”

Loki only blinked at her before looking at Thor. “Well, that is not happening.”

“Fuck no,” Thor smirked.

“The messenger boy called Father Odon,” he smirked, and Thor burst out laughing.

Alexa punched Loki in the chest. “What the hell is wrong with you two? She wants you banished, me back, and _Astrid_! How are you not freaking out right now?”

“Agh! Easy, darling,” Loki grumbled, rubbing his chest. “This is but the first message. It is all bluster and blowhard talk by an old fool who hasn’t kept apprised of Asgard’s continued success as a pantheon. They know nothing of who we are today. Odin has not been King in some years. Thor has outgrown Mjolnir and now caries Stormbreaker as befits the King. The hair is unfortunate, but Astrid was contrite in her apology for that accident.”

“I happen to like the hair,” Thor muttered. “It’s much less work in the morning.”  

She looked at the five men, all who seemed perfectly at ease with the proceedings. “But… Astrid?”

“It is not uncommon to take a hostage to ensure an agreement will not be broken at a future date, and as Astrid is the only royal child of Asgard, it was not unexpected. However, I will slaughter every member of your old pantheon who stands against us if they try to take my daughter from me.”

The cold smile was full of deadly promise and made her shiver. “They don’t know we’re married.”

“No, they don’t,” he smirked at Thor, waved a hand, and made paper, ink, and a quill pen appear on the table. “Shall we begin, brother? The game is just getting started.”

Thor looked to the raven on the mantle. “Father? You agree with everything Loki said?” The bird bobbed up and down. “Very well. Let us respond with a counter-proposal. Aphrodite did not introduce herself as she should have when she suspected something of you, Loki. Seeing as how you were there with _her_ daughter, she should have assumed you knew who she was, but as she’d never explained proper protocol to you, Alexa dear, that made the first mistake hers. Loki, would you mind?” Thor waved at his clothes. “We all may as well get comfortable. This could take some time.”

Loki flicked his fingers, and the other four were suddenly attired in jeans and sweaters. “Your rooms are where they were when last we were all here should you wish to retire; otherwise the kitchen is stocked.”

The three rose and began to wander off, and Alexa smirked up at Loki. “How is it your house keeps getting bigger but never gets any bigger from the outside?”

“Dimensional pockets. The rooms are all anchored to the house but exist a step outside this realm. Now… four names, darling?” he grinned.

She rolled her eyes. “Alexandrettia was my mother’s choice. Back in the day, Alexandria was her favourite city even though it's in Egypt, not Greece. Calida means ‘most beautiful,’ fitting at the time when she was happy I was a pretty baby. Agapi is ‘love or affection,’ and Celosia was my father’s choice. It means ‘aflame.’”

“Then it is a fine name and suits you, _brannhjerte_ ,” Loki said softly, looking at her with heavy-lidded eyes full of desire.

He made her melt in all the right places when he looked at her like that, but sitting a few feet from where Thor was quietly scraping away with quill over parchment wasn’t exactly a place she wanted Loki to seduce her, and Alexa blurted out the first thought that came to mind. “Did you know your brother takes exception to the word sex?”

The quill snapped off in Thor’s fingers. “Dammit, Alexa! Now I have to start over.”

Loki belted out a laugh. “I am quite familiar with that fact, _brannhjerte_. How did you happen to find out?”

A smirk curled her lips. “I told him we had sex. Often. And with great vigour.”

“Odin’s one eye! Can you two just _not_?” Thor bellowed.

Loki snickered as he lightly danced his fingers down her neck. “This one time I feel I must agree with Thor. What we do is nothing so clinical as sex. It’s love, darling. Vigorous and frequent, but certainly loving.”

“Oh, for-” Thor thrust to his feet. “Fresh quill, parchment, and ink in my room, Loki. Then you may seduce your wife to your heart’s content.”

“Good. Who knew you were such a prude, Thor,” Loki snickered as Thor stormed out, the ravens following him. “Now, where was I?”

Alexa found herself beneath him on the sofa. “Anyone could come in!” she hissed.

“Then I guess we’d best contain our desires to kissing and over the clothes petting.”

She arched a brow. “Are you asking me to make out with you, Loki?”

“And if I were?” he grinned.

She didn’t bother to answer, just wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little note for the people asking questions. This story is Canon divergent during Thor The Dark World. Loki did not almost die in the fight with the dark elves. Instead, he went with Thor to Earth where they fought Malekith together, then returned home to Asgard where the truth of his involvement with the Chitauri became known. There is no Thanos in this world, only the Chitauri who thought they could enslave a God of Asgard to their bidding. Loki, though still not wholly trusted, was granted the chance to do penance for his part by joining the Avengers. That's where Little Blessings comes in. Now, Odin has stepped aside for Thor, and because of his rise in status, King Eitri of Nidavellir gave Thor Stormbreaker as a gift for his coronation. The short hair is the result of an incident involving Astrid. There will also be a break in the events of Ragnarok, but I'll leave that a surprise for now.
> 
> Warnings: Smut, smut, smutty smut. Small angst. Soft, fluffy Thor. 
> 
> Thanks to @gossamarnie who requested this chapter through Coffee Updates (on Tumblr). Your support is so appreciated! Sorry it took so long to get this out.

* * *

 

_Introductions completed, the two gods/goddesses can now move on to the business at hand. Neither shall exchange in a bout of magic unless both parties agree the use is as a friendly wager. They may not practice magic upon the other unless further agreed upon, and an oath sworn to their most sacred order._

_Courtesy must be extended at all times. Formality is also required unless agreed to discard it for urgencies sake._

_Should a conflict arise, both parties must agree to third-party intervention and have no further contact with each other until such a time as an agreement for resolution can be reached. One pantheon is not to aggravate the other, nor can they retaliate for the perceived slight. Any escalation will be considered Hostile Intent resulting in immediate ruling on behalf of the harmed party._

_\- Exert from the Book Rules of Pantheon Relations_

* * *

 

Thor walked back into the living room, parchment in hand with a raven on his shoulder and huffed an irate noise. “Are you punishing me for the century after I turned three hundred?”

Loki lifted his head just enough to smirk Thor’s direction before removing himself from Alexa’s body. “I hadn’t thought of that but sure.”

“What happened when you turned three hundred?” Alexa asked, smoothing back her hair, thoroughly mussed after the extended makeout session.

“He came into his secondary title, God of Fertility. There was a century in which I made damn sure I knocked before entering any room with a door, appropriate for snogging or not. Many a young woman benefited from Thor’s newfound _gifts_ ,” Loki snickered.

Alexa frowned. “Does that mean you have kids?”

“I assure you, darling, though I was a randy fellow, I never once planted my seed in a maiden’s belly, willing or not. I would not be much of a God if I couldn’t control the gifting of my progeny.”

“He was, what was that term Natasha used? Ah, yes. A manwhore, but not an irresponsible one,” Loki laughed.

“I resent that term, brother!” Thor barked.

Loki continued to laugh as he pulled Alexa into his lap. She was so tiny; he absolutely adored how easily she fit against him. “Are you prepared to send a response?”

“I am,” Thor murmured, lowering to sit on the floor before the coffee table where he spread the parchment out upon its surface.

Alexa gave a surprised gasp and leaned closer. “Wow. Did you do all that?” she asked, pointing at the intricate knots and animals, runes and details in black and red ink with a thin border of gold leaf around the edge.

“Loki did. It’s his talent, not mine.”

She stared up at him with her mouth open. “It’s beautiful. Is it magic?”

He shook his head. “No, love. Those are all drawn by hand. I have five or six dozen prepared at any time in case of just such an event.”

“Indeed. I always write out my missive first, then copy the final draft to the fancy paper. Asgard has a reputation to keep up after all,” Thor explained.

“Did the message from Olympus look like that?” Alexa asked.

Loki waved his hand and held the scroll out for her. “Basic key design for the border. Nothing extravagant.”

She arched a brow and gave him a wry smirk. “Didn’t that get thrown in the fire?”

He shrugged. “Thor is often impulsive. I was expecting him to do something along those lines and vanished it long before the flames could have it.”

“Tricky,” she snickered. “Just like you.”

“If you two are finished flirting,” Thor huffed, “might I continue?”

Loki rolled his eyes but nodded.

“To the esteemed Zeus, King of Olympus, God of Sky and Thunder, Ruler of Jupiter, son of Cronus and Rhea, Defender of Men, and Titan Destroyer, I, Thor of Asgard, King of the Nine Realms, God of Thunder, Lightning, Storms, Oak trees, Strength, and Fertility, the Protector of Humanity, Wielder of the axe Stormbreaker, son of Odin and Frigga, Avenger of Midgard, do answer your missive with regret of my own.

Loki, Prince of Asgard, my brother, God of Mischief, Lies, and Revelry, Protector of the Nine Realms, Heir to the Throne of Asgard, Master of Magic, son of Odin and Frigga, rightful Heir to Jotunheim, Avenger of Midgard, and the Goddess Alexandrettia Calida Agapi Celosia, formerly of Olympus, are both friends and colleagues through the human team know as the Avengers.

By unfortunate circumstance, Alexandrettia Calida Agapi Celosia, Goddess of Love and Desire, Flame and Forge, heir to Venus and Vulcan has informed us and her father, the honorable Hephaestus, God of Flame and Forge, Ruler of Vulcan, son of Zeus and Hera, that her education of cross pantheon relations and laws is non existent. Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Lust, the Beautiful Ruler of Venus, daughter of Zeus and Dione failed in her duty as a Goddess of Olympus and mother to impart essential knowledge to her daughter.

Therefore, the first fault lies with Olympus.

Upon their meeting, Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Lust, the Beautiful Ruler of Venus, daughter of Zeus and Dione sought to ensnare my brother, the Prince of Asgard, my chosen heir's mind and failed. Instead of following the rules of law set down after the Reaping of Atlantis and immediately giving introduction, she sought to cage Loki, God of Mischief and her daughter, Alexandrettia Calida Agapi Celosia with magic in a second act of disobedience in regards to our laws.

Therefore, the second fault lies with Olympus.

Finally, it is with great joy I inform you that my beloved brother, Loki, Prince of Asgard, and Alexandrettia Calida Agapi Celosia are now wed under the traditional laws. Alexandrettia Calida Agapi Celosia is no longer of Olympus but of Asgard and is not subject to the decrees of Aphrodite.

The most honorable God Hephaestus has bestowed his blessing upon the new couple as have I. It is my hope that with this news, my brother Loki, Prince of Asgard, God of Mischief, Lies, and Revelry, Protector of the Nine Realms, Heir to the Throne of Asgard, Master of Magic, son of Odin and Frigga, rightful Heir to Jotunheim, Avenger of Midgard can be forgiven his small transgression against your daughter Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Lust, the Beautiful Ruler of Venus, and a new era of peace and prosperity can be found with the joining of our two pantheons.

Mistakes have been made that we, the royal family of Asgard, are now required to correct. In his generosity, my brother is willing to forgive Aphrodite her failures under the law if she desists at once her threats against the world of Midgard and his person.

Asgard will take further action should she continue her wholly unfounded accusations and demands against my brother and our family.

We will not banish Loki from this world. We will not tear Loki's wife from his side. We will not allow Astrid, the only child of Asgard, to ever be raised outside her father's influence.

Demands of such will be met with the full might of Asgard. We do not want war, but Asgard is fully prepared to defend what we claim, and what we claim, we protect. Alexandrettia Calida Agapi Celosia Spark is now Alexandrettia Calida Agapi Celosia Lokiwife and under our protection.

With respect, Thor, King of Asgard, God of _blah blah blah,_ ” he finished with a wave of his hand. “So?”

“Long-winded and pompous. You learned your lessons from Father well,” Loki chuckled.

“Lokiwife?” Alexa frowned. “I thought your last name was Laufeyson or Odinson?”

“While I go by that on Midgard, we still follow the old ways on Asgard. We, Thor and I, are sons of Odin which makes us Odinsons, though I am a son of Laufey as well which makes the name interchangeable. But you are my wife. Therefore you are Lokiwife, as Astrid is Lokidaughter,” he explained, playing with a curl of her flame-bright hair.

“How the heck do you follow anyone's genealogy that way?” she grumbled.

Loki shrugged. “It is easier than it sounds.” It wasn’t, but it wasn’t his job, so who cared?

“So now what?” she asked, nerves causing her hands to twist together. “It all sounded good but rather… threatening at the same time. What if Zeus doesn’t like it?”

“Escalation is almost a guarantee, my sister,” Thor grinned. “But unlike Olympus, we are a warring race. Battle is as essential as ale to our people. Your former pantheon is well aware of that fact. I doubt it will come to much more than a bag of bluster before Olympus backs down.”

“If you say so,” she sighed. “But my mother is more conniving than you give her credit for. I doubt she’ll give up so easily.”

Loki shifted her from his lap and stood as Thor rolled the scroll and passed it to him. With a wave of his hand, Loki bound it and sealed it with the mark of Asgard; the golden city before the peaks of Asgard's mountain range. “Do not fret, darling. We will let nothing happen to you.”

“I’m more worried about you two and Astrid,” she whispered, head bowed.

Loki lifted her chin with two fingers, bent, and kissed her with all the tenderness he could muster. “And that is why you will be an exceptional mother to Astrid. I shall be back shortly. Perhaps you should read a bit more.” He waved at the books before striding for the door.

Once it was open, Loki shifted into the form of a raven, unsurprised when Huginn and Munin joined him and flew off with the scroll clutched in his talons.

At the edge of the woods where the man sat waiting before a small fire, Loki materialized within his borders dressed as the prince of Asgard he was, horns gleaming in the firelight. “Your reply, messenger.”

He startled, jumped to his feet, and just missed falling in his fire. “You enjoy doing that don’t you?” he grumbled, turning to face Loki who only smirked.

“Well, Mischief is my namesake.” The man’s eyes grew wide as Loki stepped fully from the shadows in all his regal glory. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Nu-nuh-no!” he squeaked. “I just… thought you were a servant.”

Loki chuckled darkly and tossed the scroll through the barrier. “I know.” Then, because he was feeling benevolent, he flicked his hand and opened a portal. “That will see you to the edge of my ancestral lands. You will be able to use those winged sandals in your satchel once you leave here.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “I… I can walk.”

“Wolves run these woods. I cannot guarantee you will not be on their menu, but I can guarantee safe passage if you leave that way.” He flicked his hand at the portal. “We do not kill the messenger. That was never our way.” After all, the saying came from somewhere.

“Thank you, God Loki,” he said, bowing. “I am Hesperos, demigod through Hermes.”

“We go by prince, princess, and king, Hesperos. Well met. If you continue in your post as the messenger, I will continue to guarantee your safety.” Here he threw the man a coin stamped with the likeness of Asgard. “That coin will open the same portal at the edge of my lands to see you back to this place. Once here, you need only test the barrier to gain my attention. Safe travels.” He left in a flash of magic, showy but otherwise useless, and flew off with his father’s ravens.

“Loki,” Munin croaked a moment later. “Careful.”

“I know, Father.” He could feel it too.

“Something smells,” added Huginn.

“Like bilgesnipe during mating season,” he agreed. All was not right in the land of Midgard. Olympus was up to something.

***

Alexa turned to Thor the moment Loki left. “Atlantis? Freaking Atlantis, Thor!”

He barked a hearty laugh and stood to go into the kitchen. “Would you like to hear the tale of how Atlantis really fell, my sister?”

“Ugh, duh!” she grumbled, watching him pour a tankard of ale from a cask of it she didn’t remember seeing until the moment he’d reached for the glass.

Right. Magic house. 

“It starts very early. Back at the very dawning of men, before my time or Loki’s. Even before my father’s time when his grandfather, Búri, ruled. Back then, men were little more than people scratching their existence out of the dirt.” He held up his hand when she made to protest. “Such were the words of my great grandfather.”

“Did you ever meet him?”

“Búri? No. He had returned to the stars long before I was born,” Thor said as he came and sat beside her.

Alexa drew her knees to her chest and smiled. “Return to the stars. That sounds lovely.”

He patted her foot fondly. “It is very beautiful, even when the occasion is sad. My mother’s funeral was…”

He drifted away into thoughts and memories, and Alexa scooted around to lean against him, her head on his shoulder and hands wrapped around his forearm. She’d never been lax in her affection. Never been one to withhold physical comfort. It wasn’t in her nature. And since the moment he’d called her _sister_ the first time, she’d felt a warmth bloom like a rose in her heart. A place just for Thor; a brother she knew would love and cherish her in ways her half-siblings never could. Nor ever wanted too.

“If it doesn’t hurt you to speak of it, would you tell me of her funeral?” she asked softly.

He sipped from the frothy glass before speaking as if to fortify his tongue for the sombre memory. “We have no such thing as coffins on our world. Our dead are set in boats carved with ruins to guide them home to the Norns. Grand ships of golden wood gleaned from the Glasir trees set with a dragon’s head to show the way. They are lined with silks and strewn with flowers; a bed fit for a queen. Frigga, my mother, was dressed in her finest gown and armour and laid to rest in her craft. She was set adrift on the Asgard Sea, her ship heading for the falls. An archer set it aflame, and it floated momentarily on the edge of the world where Father returned her spirit to the ether, a scattering of silver blue stars to the sky. It was… beautiful and tragic. Many ships sailed that night after the Dark Elves came.”

“Loki must have been heartbroken. He loved your mother so much. He speaks of her often and with fond memories.”

“Loki was imprisoned at the time. After that business in New York, he was not allowed his freedom.”

Pain pierced her heart. It must have killed him to miss her return to the stars. “After that business with the Chitauri, you can’t blame him for what he did.”

Thor frowned down at her. “What do you know of it?”

She frowned up at him. “He showed me the scars, Thor. The scars on top of scars. The damage is extensive.”

Shame filled Thor’s face, and he looked away. “He’s never shown me. I know he was tortured and then forced into assisting them with that business with the sceptre, but he’s never shown me the extent of his… confinement.”

“Thor… do the other’s know?” she asked softly, sitting back to look at him. “Do they know he was forced into compliance?” Loki said they did, but she'd questioned that, wondering if he was telling the whole truth.

“They know.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “He called me a fire wraith when we first met, was so cautious and wary. He didn’t want me around Astrid and after seeing… Well. I understand better now why that was.”

“How bad?” Thor asked, staring into his cup.

“It’s….” She swallowed thickly, unable to explain it adequately. 

He flinched and downed the last of his glass in one long drink. “I knew it had to be,” he gasped when finished. “I knew. Looking back, he was in such pain when he came to Midgard. I should have seen…. But then, I wasn’t a very good brother when we were younger. Too competitive, but that is Asgardian way. I felt I was better than him. Stronger. Faster. Mjolnir was mine. I was too proud with not enough understanding. He was… different. Not weaker, just different in his strengths. I didn’t understand. Made fun of him. Treated him… poorly. When I found him on Midgard, I knew something was wrong with him, but after that business in Asgard, I couldn’t be bothered to try and discern what. He was my brother, and I failed him.”

“We failed each other.” They looked up to find Loki standing in the doorway right before the ravens sailed through. He shut the door with deceptive gentleness. “Whatever guilt you think you owe me, brother, you do not. We mended our differences years ago. What happened is in our history, and though I regret my part in the death of so many, my actions eventually brought me to Astrid. For that, I could not, and would not, change any of my choices.”

"We find our fate in the strangest places," Thor murmured.

"And the biggest blessings often come in the smallest packages," Loki said, staring at her.

Alexa smirked and rose from her place at Thor's side, stole his glass and returned to the kitchen past Loki to refill it. "Your brother was about to tell me about Atlantis before we were sidetracked by melancholy things."

"Oh?" He prowled after her, caging her against the counter. "And what sob story did Thor tell to gain your sympathetic ear, darling?"

She bowed her head. "Your mother's funeral."

The hands on her hips tightened for but an instant before letting go. "I see."

"She asked if we knew Búri, which led to talk of returning to the stars. Mother's was the last I'd seen."

Alexa turned to look up at Loki. Anger and bitter regret darkened his eyes to deep pine green.

"Hers was the only one I missed."

It broke her heart into shards. "Loki."

"I'm fine." The words were clipped and hard and made her heart hurt even more.

"You're not," she whispered, laying a hand against his cheek.

"I've always wondered why you've never asked to see, brother."

They both turned to look at Thor, heel crossed over one knee, sitting comfortably on the sofa. He appeared a man at his leisure but for the sharpness of his eyes and set lines around his mouth.

"I was forbidden the ability to say goodbye. Seeing it now will not change that fact."

But it hurt him. Oh, how it hurt him. Alexa left Thor's ale on the counter and wrapped herself around Loki. She could almost feel the anguish rolling from him in waves. It broke whatever tentative control he had left as he collapsed over her and took them from the room.

Safely ensconced in the privacy of their bedroom, he let himself break, leaning on her for support as they stumbled to the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Alexa whispered, voice raw with unshed tears.

He trembled once but was quickly recovering his composure. What tears if any had fallen were hidden in her hair.

"Why are you sorry, love?"

"I shouldn't have asked. I didn't know-" Loki's fingers pressed to her lips before his mouth swiftly followed. 

"That's just it," he murmured once they broke apart. "You didn't know. Questions are how you learn, _brannhjerte_. I will never begrudge you your questions. Mother's death and her funeral hold bitter memories for me of a time when I was still… not in my right mind. It was her death that knocked free the last of the Chitauri's control over me. I can never forgive myself for not being there to protect her." He looked up and stroked his hands through her hair before cupping her jaw. "That is why when I say I will fight for you, my love, my sweetling, my _brannhjerte_ , I mean it because I could not go through that again. Losing you after just finally gaining you would ice over my heart in ways the world would never recover from."

"Loki, don't say that. You have Astrid." She couldn't imagine him losing himself like that when his child would need him.

"And you, sweet Alexa, are the fire that warms my heart and melts the ice in this Frost Giant soul. Astrid for many years has kept me warm. My love for her is that of a parent who knows one day she will grow and no longer need me as she does now. She is the flurry of snow that rises on the wind and makes me laugh when it tickles my nose. She is my joy and yes, for a while more she will be my life, but you… you Alexandrettia Calida Agapi Celosia," he murmured, laying her back on that glorious bed. "Goddess of Love and Desire, Flame and Forge," he purred, stripping her sweater over her head. "Heir to Venus and Vulcan," he crooned as he peeled down her pants. "Flame witch, stealer of hearts, breaker of ice, warmer of souls," he moaned as he settled to his knees on the floor and pushed apart her thighs. "Naughty girl who has a penchant for forgetting her underwear," he chuckled at her nude state. "You are the sun, moon, and stars. You are the fire that burns in the heart of Valhalla. You are a gift I never expected to receive." He looked up her body, eyes dark and glowing with his magic. "You are everything," he whispered and set his mouth to her wet core.

She moaned and bit her lip, aware of the others in the house.

"Do not restrain yourself, my love. Scream, cry, beg, plead! Let my name sing from your lips, so all know who your pleasure belongs to!"

He dove back in, and Alexa shrieked his name. He worked magic over her, setting invisible hands everywhere, touching every part of her. They held her wrists above her head, kneaded and massaged her breasts. Lips and fingers plucked and pulled at her nipples; more walked the flesh of her belly. What felt like a thumb pressed to her lips, and she greedily sucked it into her mouth.

Loki growled, and the rumble sent shockwaves spinning through her body. He flexed his fingers into her thighs as he licked and sucked and devoured her. She knew there would be bruises and adored every one.

He was out of control. Reckless. Wild with abandon. When he brought her up on a wave of pleasure that made her scream and thrash and beg for more, he lifted his head and laughed like the wicked thing he was.

"Oh, my sweet, sweet _brannhjerte_. I can give you more." He rose like a demon, all dark eyes and flying hair to banish his clothes with nothing but a flick of his hand. Then that long, lean, sinewy body was climbing over her, dragging her up the bed, flipping her to her belly and pinning her down.

So fast, so strong, with that hint of violence and the sharp tang of sex on the air, Alexa's head spun.

"Are you with me, _brannhjerte_?" he whispered against her ear as more magic saw her mass of hair braided and out of his way.

"Yes," she panted, so excited she knew her wetness was soaking the bedding beneath her.

He purred like a pleased feline, and set his teeth in her shoulder. It sent pleasure streaking to her core with each sharp bite for he swept his tongue over her to soothe each sting. Thick and hard and wedged against her buttocks, Alexa flexed against his cock with every bite until he was rutting against her, growling, and biting harder.

She was sure a puddle had formed beneath her hips. "Loki, please!"

"Ah," he snickered, dragging his teeth over her shoulder, his tongue following the lines of her tattoos. "There's a pretty plea. Do it again."

She pressed her cheek into the bedding. "Please, Loki. Please."

"Please what, _brannhjerte_? Tell me what you need. Be specific," he purred, trailing love bites down her spine.

She caught a glimpse of him waiting, patient as a glacier, eyes burning with emotion as he rested his chin on her back and blinked slowly, a lazy Cheshire Cat. All he needed was the smile. “I want you to fuck me with your fat cock… husband.”

He went stock still, his breath caught, and the green of his eyes darkened to almost black. “Naughty,” he whispered, shifting over her, hands stroking, dragging, petting her skin, lighting fires of fresh desire on top of ones already burning. “What a terribly foul mouth you have. I find it quite… _enticing_.”

A shiver raced Alexa’s spine, excitement and a little fear. He tucked his nose in her shoulder and breathed deeply as he settled his knees to either side of her hips and pinned her legs together.

“You smell like fire and desire, heat and flame, spice and just the slightest underlining hint of fear. How you stroke my ego, _brannhjerte._ ”

He nipped her ear, and Alexa bucked, her body lighting up. "Loki, please!"

"Patience, wife," he chuckled.

His palms skimmed her shoulders and down her arms to lock around her wrists and stretch them high above her head. He'd always been tall, but spread out over her like this Alexa felt tiny in comparison to every hot inch he touched her, every place his weight held her down, to the sheer strength of him.

Wedged still against her bottom, she whimpered when he pulled back, only to whine when he returned, the thick head driving down between her thighs to slide relentlessly over her wet core.

"Shades!" she squealed when he caught then slid free from where she desperately needed him.

He chuckled darkly, continuing to torment her. "I will have to teach you to swear in Aesir. I want to hear your sweet voice and watch your pink lips form such dirty words."

Alexa gasped and quivered, her hands flexing in his inescapable grip. "Like what?"

Another chuckle rumbled from him through her. "Like… _jeg vil knulle deg._ "

She shuddered at the foreign words rumbled against her ear. "What's that mean?"

He worked his teeth over her earlobe before whispering, "I want to fuck you."

"Loki." Heat and need had become a firestorm that had her tilting her hips back with each rub of his cock through her folds, delirious with how badly she needed him. "Please!"

"Say, _knulle meg,_ " he panted, clearly excited, his cock catching on her opening again, but this time sliding slightly inside.

She knew if he continued the forward thrust of his hips, he'd be exactly where they both wanted him and moaned, " _Knulle meg."_

He sank to the hilt, and she muffled her scream in the bedding.

"Tsk," he huffed, pinning her wrists with one hand while using the other on her braid to jerk her head back. "You stole that lovely sound from me, sweetling. Now I'll simply have to make you make another."

"Why?" she gasped, wondering why it was so essential to scream and cry out and carry on with a houseful of men.

"Ah, yes. You wouldn't know of the prowess of Asgard. A common event when mead houses were crowded, and bed space close together. Less so now, but still practiced on special occassions. The more times a man can make his woman cry out in bliss the further up the standings he rises in the eyes of other men. Once they even gave out braid beads, especially during the first nights with one's new bride. He gained in honour by honouring his woman."

The power she inherited from her mother whipped and writhed inside her with his revelation, liking that idea very much. "And just how many beads have you earned, husband?"

"Many," he purred. "But then I am a God."

"And what did you do with these… beads?" An ugly thread of jealousy twisted with her magic.

"I will destroy them the moment I return to Asgard, for none now matter but those I would earn with you."

Her power rippled, uncontrollable, and began to seep from her skin. He inhaled sharply when she opened her eyes to look at him, still holding her head back by her braid. "Did you ever strive for these beads with a Goddess?"

"Never!" He shook his head, staring at eyes she knew would glow pink.

"Good," she purred, a wicked smile spreading over her lips. "Proceed."

"Fire witch!" he snarled when Desire snaked around him and bound them together.

"Love Goddess!" she laughed, sultry and dark.

His teeth sank into the flesh of her shoulder, leaving a bite that would bruise. It made her yelp, but the sudden hard pistoning of his hips mixed pleasure with the pain. Thoughts of beads and possible listeners vanished as she let herself go. Let the powers of Love and Desire drive them both mad.

"You're so tight this way," he moaned.

His cock was a steel rod, so hot and hard, driving through her clenching walls. His hips slapped sharply against her ass, pink and still tender from his earlier punishment. He bit another mark on the back of her neck, grunted and groaned, licked and sucked and pulled at her flesh.  

Loki blew against her skin, and Alexa could feel the crawl of ice forming patterns on her flesh. She moaned at the way it tugged on her, tiny hands drawing forth all new sensations. Then he tilted his hips and drove over her sweet spot, sending her soaring as flames burst into fireworks behind her eyelids and pleasure flooded every nerve ending.

She screamed for him, loud and long and genuine, cried and convulsed beneath him, lost in wave after wave of pure bliss. Alexa lost her hold on reality for a moment, waking only when he started to shift her up, a ragdoll over his arms as he dragged her to her knees. He spread them wide, his fingers trailing through the flood of fluid dripping down her thighs. Loki rubbed her gently, frost running with his fingertips.

“Fuck…” Alexa moaned, cheek pressed into a fur. “That should not feel that good.”

“I can make it feel better,” he chuckled, placing an open mouth kiss on her buttock.

“You do, and I may die.”

He laughed and skimmed his cold fingers over her pink flesh. “I was cruel to you before. Perhaps I should not have been so… vigorous in my punishment.”

“Loki.” Alexa sat up and back, unable to turn around when he captured her hard against him. Instead, she reached behind and wrapped her arm around his neck, craned her head back, and drew him down. “I liked it. You have… interesting appetites. But, seeing as you are the God of Mischief, I’m not surprised. Being as I’m a Goddess of Love and Desire, I’m more than willing to work through them all with you as long as there is always love between us.”

Moisture sparkled in his eyes. “Always, my darling. Always.” Hand on her hips, he guided her back until he was again stretching his way inside her, spearing through her swollen walls to settle firmly against her womb.

She mewled a sound she’d never made before, not with any lover, one of such fullness, such contentment, it overflowed from her heart. Power, pink and potent, swirled around them, mixing with the beautiful shimmering green of Loki’s as she rose and fell, slow and controlled over him.

Fingers skimmed up her ribs as their mouths meshed, then cupped her breasts and pulled on her nipples until she had to tear her mouth away and pant, head on his shoulder at the unbelievable feeling inside her.

“Oh, god, Loki!”

“That’s it, _brannhjerte_. Scream for me,” he breathed against her ear, lifting her free hand to wrap around his neck, giving her something to hold onto as his thrust came faster, harder, driving her up until she was stretched out, barely able to move more than a few inches as he drove her insane.

His fingers trailed over her torso, down the flexing ridge of her abdomen and over her hip bones. He pet her like a kitten, tender and soft, gentle strokes, even as he fucked her hard and deep, whispering what she could only imagine were filthy things in her ear in the language of his forefathers.

It didn’t take much to figure out _knulle_ meant fuck and he said it an awful lot.

Alexa groaned as the spiral winding in her belly grew tighter and decided to give as good as she got. “ _Agápi̱ mou… astéri tis zoís mou… me katharízeis me págo kai krýveis tis flóges mou._ ”

His breath stuttered in her ear before he purred, “My love… star of my life… I will always cleanse you with ice and temper your flames.”

It was her undoing, knowing he understood her words sent a shiver of desire so strongly through her, Alexa arched into his skimming hands and shrieked her pleasure to the ceiling. He snarled when she squeezed him, clamped down on his cock and milked him hard, but continued to fight and thrust and force her contracting body to take more, again and again. Another scream split the silence of their bedroom as she came apart, constellations bursting to life behind her closed lids.

“Fuck!” Loki barked, his hand sliding up her heaving, sweaty torso to press down at the base of her throat. “One more. One more, Alexa.”

His magic surrounded hers, and as it began to contain and combine, sliding so gently over hers, it felt like fingers stroking the deepest part of her. Her very essence. They wrapped around her womb and twitched with every hard thrust of Loki’s hips until the sweep of his fingers over the hard bud of her clit set Alexa wailing her ecstasy to the sky a final time. A rumble built in Loki’s chest, vibrating through her back as her vision whited out, then a roar of utter triumph from him shook her whole body.  

They fell together into a pile of limbs and sweat, panting and quivering with the aftershocks of their loving, Loki still buried deep and pulsing inside her.

“That was…” she had no words.

“Everything,” Loki sighed, nuzzling against her nape. He drew a few furs around them and flicked his fingers, making the fire burn hotter in the corner.

As there was a chill in the air, Alexa was grateful even in her exhaustion. “Will that improve your rankings, my prince?” she teased softly when he continued simply to cuddle with her.

“It’s a start.”

She could feel him smirking against her throat. “And what do I get for making you howl?”

“My everlasting gratitude.”

Alexa burst out laughing and had him jerking his hips back. “Dammit, woman! Don’t do that unless you wish to start this all over.”

She turned to face him and dragged a lick of Desire down his chest with her nail. “As I am _so_ much younger than you, my stamina isn’t in question here.”

“Fire witch,” he grumbled. “Don’t tempt me.”

“I already did,” she said, leaning in to bite his lip. “It isn’t my fault you’re not… rising to the challenge.”

He swore at her in his guttural language and rolled her to her back where he ravaged her mouth and thrust his renewed interest back inside her. “Tell me again I can’t rise to the challenge.”

“Mm,” she purred and wrapped her legs around his waist. “My bad.”

He arched a sculpted brow, smirked his signature smile, and shook his head so the lengths of his hair brushed over her skin. “Tempting little witch. You baited me nicely.”

“It’s what I do,” she grinned and flipped him to his back. “Now,” she murmured, holding him in place with her palm against his chest. “Tell me again what I get for making you howl my name?” Before he could answer, she rolled her hips on him, stroking his shaft, and bent to bite down gently on his nipple.

Loki gasped and arched beneath her, his hands releasing her hair to dive in and hold on when it fell in a waterfall around them. “Everlasting gratitude,” he moaned when she licked a trail of Desire over his heart.

She lifted her head enough to look down on his face and smile. “I can live with that.”

***

Fandral smirked at Thor, Hogun, and Volstagg, all enjoying the hospitality of Loki’s home, sharing an ale while Volstagg raided the man’s larder. While they discussed the likely scenarios that could arise in the coming days, a scream or cry could occasionally be heard through the thick oak of the door up a floor and down the hallway.

“I see your brother’s keeping with tradition,” the blond chuckled into his drink.

Thor rolled his eyes. “He knows that practice went out of fashion centuries ago.”

“For the God of Fertility, you can be such a prude,” Fandral snickered. “We should be glad he didn’t take her and disappear for three months like Hogun with his new bride. Didn’t she have your first child about eight months after you reappeared?”

“And the second twelve months after the first,” Hogun smirked proudly.

“You’ve yet to catch up to me,” Volstagg chuckled. “I’ve three fine daughters.”

“Planning on trying for that son?” Thor teased.

Volstagg gave a long sigh. “If she lets me. My wife swears all I need do is _look_ at her and she’s with child. How disappointing would that be?”

Thor chuckled then smirked at the roof when what could only be described as a _howl_ burst from his brother’s bedroom. “Seems he succumbed to her charms after all.”

“Still, he would have earned at least a dozen beads. A respectable showing.” Volstagg bit into the turkey leg with enthusiasm.

“She’s a Goddess of Love and Desire. I would have thought that would last much longer,” Fandral sighed, sounding disappointed.

Thor drank and hoped Alexa had eased the hurt he’d caused. He hadn’t meant to upset Loki by speaking of their mother’s funeral. Loki rarely said anything in regards to the event. Thor had simply thought it was something his brother didn’t dwell on. Now, he knew it hurt Loki far deeper than Thor had ever known.

He should have told Loki about Frigga himself. He should have insisted Loki be allowed to witness her return to the stars. He should have….

Thor’s thoughts were cut off when renewed passion could be heard from the second floor. “It appears a Goddess of Love can stir any man to multiple rises,” he smirked.

“Lucky bastard,” Fandral pouted.

“Perhaps we should take a walk, check the perimeter, and check in with Heimdall while Loki enjoys this night with his wife.” Thor looked at the ravens roosting on the mantle. They’d given him warning of something foul afoot. With the way the air seemed to hold its breath around the cabin, Thor didn’t doubt something was coming.

A storm was brewing.

He rose to his feet and headed for the door, Stormbreaker jumping to his hand. Let the newlyweds enjoy themselves.

While they could.

* * *

_*Agápi̱ mou… astéri tis zoís mou… me katharízeis me págo kai krýveis tis flóges mou  - My love… star of my life… you cleanse me with ice and temper my flames._


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: language
> 
> This chapter brought to you through Coffee Updates thanks to @fairlightswiftly. Thanks for your support!

* * *

 

_When the rule of law is properly applied, the pantheons can interact with little to no conflict. But, where laws fail, courts prevail._

_Should the two parties fail to reach an agreement acceptable to both sides, a third pantheon or neutral party can be called upon to hear both complaints, and pass wisdom on the predicament._

_The decision once made is final._

_There is no changing it._

_-Excerpt from the Book Rules of Pantheon Relations_

* * *

"May I ask a question?"

Loki arched a brow even as he continued to play with Alexa's fingers. "Always, but then I have one of my own," he murmured brushing his lips over the colour splashed across her skin. They were spooned together, covered in furs, watching the fire dance. The house was still and quiet, but then Thor and the others had left a while ago, likely to walk the land. It had been some time since Thor had let himself feel the magic here and allow his to blend deep into the soil again.

"Well, I still want to know about Atlantis, but I was wondering…" she rolled over to face him, a most tempting view, "when Thor wrote my mother's title, he called her the Beautiful Ruler of Venus, not Most Beautiful. Why would he do that when he was so miffed by his lack of titles?"

Loki smiled softly at her and stroked his fingers through her hair. "Because to us, Aphrodite is not the most beautiful."

"Who is?" she frowned.

"Aunt Freyja carried that title when she was still with us, but as it sits, no one." He lightly drew his fingers over her shoulder. "Perhaps that will be your designation."

"Loki," she warned.

"Yes?" he purred.

"No."

He blinked and yanked his attention from her soft skin to her upset eyes. "And why not? You are exquisite in both your forms. You share Love and Desire as she did. Add Fire and Forge to the mix, and you are a fitting Goddess to fill the opening." She shoved away from him, but he quickly captured her and dragged her back. "No more secrets, Alexa."

She sighed and relaxed against him. "It's all… just so tainted. Everything to do with her makes me feel… dirty."

"But you are not her, love. You are a Goddess of your own making. And you will grow even more so with the centuries laid out before us."

"I don't know…" she sighed.

"Alexa, you are beautiful. And desirable. And so full of love. Your mother, for all her titles, has a most blackened heart. There is a reason she is Love and Lust, and you are Love and Desire. Lust can be used to manipulate. You would never do so."

"What if… what if I become like her in the future?"

He cupped her cheek and searched her worried eyes. "That, sweet girl, will never happen." He brushed his thumb over her skin. "I promise if you ever start to become a heinous shrew, I will inform you thusly."

She burst out laughing, just as he intended.

"Okay! Sounds good," she giggled and bit her lip. "What was your question?"

Loki propped himself up on his elbow and drew his fingers over her colourful skin. "How do you make these stick? Are they ink or magic?"

"Magic." She shrugged. "They won't stay otherwise."

"Ah," he smirked. "I would like to add one of my own."

She arched a brow, suddenly all curiosity. "You would, huh? Of what?"

"Guess," he grinned, pulling down the furs and turning her to her back before wriggling down the bed to place his mouth on her hip bone.

"Mm," she hummed as he began to drag his tongue over her skin. "Flowers?"

He grunted at that. Why would he ever leave flowers? He continued up, winding his way across her stomach.

"Birds?" She squirmed as he licked along her ribcage.

Again he grunted in the negative.

"Is it an animal?" she whimpered when he slowly began to trace a path around her breast.

"Mm," he hummed in the positive.

"Reptile?"

Another positive hum as he swept a path up her chest and bit down on her shoulder.

"Snake?"

He chuckled and sat back to admire his handy work. "How perceptive."

She lifted up on her elbows, then looked down and laughed before tracing her fingers along the tail of the snake that followed the path his tongue had taken. "It's beautiful."

"Do you like the placement?" Loki touched the head of the serpent resting on her shoulder. "He'll gladly move for you if you don't." He skimmed his fingers to the left and watched her eyes shut in pleasure when the snake followed.

"I'll let you know," she sighed, her azure eyes cracking open to look at him from behind her thick lashes. "So, can I leave one on you?"

Suspicion filled him. "Of?"

She twisted up and pushed him to his back, her hands soft on him, fingertips trailing over his waist. "I'll show you." Her eyes were lit with mischief, but her smile was gentle when her mouth lowered to his hip and began to work her tongue over him.

He tried to watch, but the pleasure wicking through him had his eyes closing as she followed a path up his ribcage and onto his chest where she gently bit down. Loki fought not to moan at the feel of her teeth and opened his eyes to take in the sight.

It was Phoenix, a bird of rebirth, whose head rested over his heart, wings fanned over his ribs, and tail curled down toward his cock. Traditionally red and gold and orange like her hair, she must have known having flames - any but hers - marked into his flesh would be a poor idea and coloured the bird in shades of blue and white — a firebird created of ice.

"You have quite a talent," he murmured, sliding his hand over the creature and watching the feathers shift and move with his every breath. "But then I have seen your sculpture."

She chuckled and ran her hand over the tattoo. "I have had a little practice."

"Why this?" he asked, curious about her choice.

"Because this is the start of something new. For you. For me. My first rebirth was when I left Aphrodite; when I became who I wanted to be for the first time. I have no signature animal like most of the Gods, so I chose one. This one. Because they are steadfast and always renewing."

He sat up and cupped her face. "It's fitting. Thank you." He made to kiss her when the poking at his barrier drew his notice. "Hm. It seems Hesperos is back."

"And right when it was getting good," she snickered.

Loki chuckled as he rose and drew her from their well-used bed, waved a hand and clothed them both.

"I need you to teach me that."

"In time," he promised, placing a kiss on her forehead before leading her away. "Thor and the others are not in the house. Make sure you stay within while I'm gone."

"Yeah, yeah. Blah, blah." She waved a dismissive hand. "I'm not incapable you know."

He chuckled and kissed her again, this one on her sweet, pouting lips before heading out the door. He pulled it swiftly shut behind him and was soon winging his way to the barrier.

When he arrived, it was to find Thor and the Warrior Three already there as Hesperos tossed the message to them.

"Brother," Loki murmured as he walked out of the woods then nodded to the man whose winged sandals remained on his feet.

"Prince." The man appeared anxious.

"Something wrong, messenger?" Loki asked.

Hesperos fidgeted. "My lord, the God Zeus, was," he swallowed thickly, "angry."

Loki exchanged a look with Thor. "Remain in safety, Hesperos. Have you eaten?"

"I am content. Thank you, Prince Loki," Hesperos bowed.

The five turned as one and melded into the shadows of the forest, out of sight of the man. Once they were far enough away not to be overheard, Loki created a small ball of light, ran his hand over the seal, and nodded for Thor to open it.

The moment the seal cracked, Loki felt a shudder race through him. It was like someone scraped a nail down his skin and set him hissing.

"What?" Thor asked.

He waved a dismissive hand. "They tried to punch a hole somewhere. It is barely a crack in the barrier. I will seal it. Continue."

"Perhaps we should wait and return to Alexa."

"Just read it, Thor." Loki wanted to be prepared for her reactions whatever this message provoked.

Thor nodded and unrolled it, beginning to scan through the contents. "King of Asgard, Thor, God of, blah, blah, blah - well he got that right - congratulations on your coronation. Had we known a gift would have been sent.

It distresses me greatly that my daughter, Aphrodite - blah, blah, blah - has been so lax in her duties. Her failure is the embarrassment of Olympus. Yadda yadda, grovel, scrape, apologies.

We have withdrawn Aphrodite's complaint and ask that you extend our apologies to your heir. On the matter of Alexa…" Thor's voice trailed off, and he inhaled sharply.

"Thor?" Loki growled.

"Loki… I…" He handed over the scroll.

Loki read through to where Thor ended and felt like every atom in his body froze. "No…"

"Loki," Thor murmured, reaching out to him.

Loki vanished, taking the scroll with him.

***

Alexa leaned against the door for a moment before going to sit on the hearth and run her fingers through the crackling flames within. The fire welcomed her like always, a sweet caress, and calmed a little of the trepidation tripping in her belly.

She knew in her heart Aphrodite was up to something. She just didn't know what and dwelling on her mother's particular brand of crazy would serve no one.

A soft sigh slipped her lips when she looked up and spied the Apple of Idunn, golden and delicious looking, shining softly in the glow from the fireplace. It beckoned to her, a taunt to come and taste its flesh, to shed Olympus from her skin and accept her role on Asgard. But what even was her role?

Loki was so sure she was meant to step into Freyja's vacant space, but who was she? Who had she been? What did she stand for?

Did Alexa want to take on the role of another Goddess? Or could she forge her own path?

She knew in the Greek pantheon one had to be born a full God or Goddess to be announced heir to their position. There were many children of the Gods, but only those fated to a place would hold them. To find out she was heir to both Vulcan and Venus had come as a shock.

She knew she would inherit from her father. She was Hephaestus' only child, but to find she was meant to hold Aphrodite's place too? That seemed odd to her. Surely there was another who could maintain the Goddess of Love title when her mother stepped down. Alexa certainly didn’t want it.

Rising from her place before the fire, she crossed the room and picked up the apple. She could feel the magic in it and wondered if she ate it, would this all end? As it would be a choice freely made, surely the Gods of Olympus would back down.

Uncertain, Alexa sat and let the apple fall to her lap as she reached for the book on the Gods and Goddesses of Asgard. It was old, the leather tight beneath her fingers while the pages appeared fragile. She opened it carefully, worried it would fall apart with her first touch, but it seemed the book was stronger than it first appeared, for the pages turned easily, and the ink hadn’t faded.

This was not some store-bought book on the Gods of Asgard, but one written by a careful hand. She was surprised to find it written in English until a ripple of magic showed the foreign runes and marks shifting before her eyes to words she could understand. “Well, you’re definitely not from Barnes and Noble,” she chuckled softly and flipped through the pages, admiring the drawings depicting the different Gods.

They were beautiful, and the style was familiar causing her to gasp softly in recognition before hurriedly turning the pages to see if she was right. When she found no entry for Loki, she knew she was. He had written this book describing the people of his family, and when she began to read the passages, it became even more evident.

_Frigga is benevolent, kind-hearted, fair and wise; beloved by all her family and all people. Wife of Odin, mother to Thor and Loki, she is a Goddess of Foresight and Wisdom. Too bad some people never learned to listen to her._

_A fierce warrior in her own right, Frigga has often given Odin a run around the training yard when Father set her off. It was glorious to see as she had no qualms about using her mastery of sorcery to give her an advantage._

_Compassionate and kind, she often lets her heart lead her down paths of trouble. One such path led her to share her magic with a boy overshadowed by his father and brother, giving him his own ground to stand on next to his family. Only time will tell if this was a poor decision or not._

_In ancient times, the people of Midgard worshiped her as a Sky Goddess holding her responsible for weaving the clouds (what nonsense) therefore allowing for the sun and the rain to see their lands grow fruitful. They also believed her responsible for weaving their fates (how foolish. That is the Norn’s responsibility)._

_Still, at the dawning of the Winter Solstice - when the hours of sunlight began to lengthen - the humans believed she would sit at her spindle and weave the destiny of man and gods alike for the new year._

_The longest night is also called “Mother Night” for it was believed that in the darkness of that night the goddess Frigga laboured to give birth to Baldur who was so pleasant and radiant he was beloved of all the gods. Referred to as the Norse god of light or the god of the midsummer sun, celebrations of his life, death and resurrection were held at midsummer and usually involved watching the sun set and rise._

_Which, though entertaining to participate in the drunken revelry of the age, was a most foolish endeavour on the human’s part for there is no God Baldur and never has been. The only “golden one” of the Norse pantheon is Thor._

_But, prayers are prayers, and within the Pantheon Hall stands an empty pedestal with the name Baldur upon it. Perhaps one day, a godling will be born worthy to stand in his place._

Alexa frowned at that. How can one have a God who never existed? How can a place be formed in a Pantheon when there is no physical manifestation of the person?

She shook her head and closed the book, wondering why he’d written it and at what age. There was such a wealth of arrogance in the words, though that didn’t surprise her. He could get quite hoyty when he wanted to. It always amused her when he did, and she occasionally goaded him just to hear that icy formal speech growl from his lips.

A sudden shift in the feel of the magic around her had her head snapping up. After the intimacies they’d shared and the blending of their magics, she knew his magic well enough to know when something was wrong. Right now, something felt very wrong.

Alexa slowly got to her feet, the apple in her lap going into the pocket on her sweater, and turned to look out the window at the calm waters and misty ground. It was dark still, but a golden glow was rising to highlight the mountain peak across the Fjord. A low bank of fog hung over the water, casting the world in an eerie horror movie quality that made her shiver and glance at the door.

It struck her suddenly that there was no lock on it. Loki’s wards were meant to keep out all but those he considered family, and after seeing much of the depth and spread of his magic, she didn’t doubt his skill. Still, the lack of a phyisical lock bothered her.

Then a man stepped out of the mist, and Alexa nearly wet herself, gasping and recoiling when he stalked a few feet from the water’s edge and stopped.

 _Alexandrettia_ …

The voice whispered on the wind that rushed down the chimney and flared her fire.

_Come to me…_

She gave a sharp snort of laughter at his feeble attempt. “Yeah, no.”

The man walked a few paces closer, but it looked like he was fighting through something resisting his attempts for each step appeared a struggle. The light from inside slashed across him, arching Alexa’s brow. She could admit that he was handsome. The kind of man who most women would consider drop dead gorgeous with his fit, muscular body, rippling abs, and thick thighs encased in incredibly tight black pants. He wore boots as if he’d only just returned from the stables, and his dark hair was cropped short but curled around his ears. Sharp features and eyes so blue she could see them across the lawn tried to enthral her, but Alexa was having none of it.

He looked like a Greek Fabio knock off to her, or an incredibly cheesy romance novel cover. “Yeah, that’s not going to work either,” she shook her head.

Suddenly he was across the yard, and boots were stomping up the stairs. “Alexandrettia! It is time to go. You are coming with me.”

She glared at the door. “Yeah, how about no?”

“You will do as you are told, woman! Open this door!”

He did not just say that! Alexa, who had been annoyed but amused before, was now downright pissed. “Open it yourself, dirtbag. Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“I am Eros, you foolish girl! Come out here now!”

Alexa froze. Eros? Her eldest half brother? What the hell? “Yeah, I don’t think so. I’m perfectly happy staying with the Asgardians.”

“Alexandrettia Calida Agapi Celosia. You will open this door, and you will come with me right this instant, or when we return home, I will be most displeased with you.”

She gaped at the door before exploding in rage. “Who the fuck do you think you are speaking to me that way? I don’t know you, asshole, but if you think for one second because we share a mother that I will in anyway defer to you because you’re older you can kiss my fiery ass!”

“I’m your betrothed, woman! Now open this door, or I swear to all of Olympus you will regret defying me!”

Alexa reeled back. Betrothed? “What the fuck! I’m already married to Loki!”

“Your marriage,” he sneered, “is invalid. I have the first claim.”

She would have told him where he could stick his claim except the roar of an enraged beast beat her to it, then the sound of a fist connecting with force to flesh and bone preceded the crash of Eros flying off the porch.  

“Loki!” She rushed to the door and pulled it open, coming face to face with his back.

“Did you know?” he asked, panting, his body shaking with rage.

“No! And I’m sure Dad doesn’t either, or he would have said something,” she murmured, sliding her arms around his waist and pressing her face to his back. “I want no one but you, Loki.”

He relaxed minutely, coming out of his aggressive, forward bent posture as he drew her to his side. “You are mine, Alexa. Only mine. I will fight to keep you.”

“And I’ll fight to stay,” she promised.

“How quaint,” Eros sneered, rising to his feet. “But we both know that is not how it works, Prince of Asgard.”

“Eros of Olympus,” Loki snarled. “I’ll remove that pretty face of yours if you come near my wife again.”

He held out his arms. “Come at me, Mischief! We’ve danced this dance before. As I recall, you didn’t fare so well last time.”

Alexa had no idea what they were talking about and looked up at Loki to ask only to have her mouth fall open in awe. The golden horns that were once a part of his helmet, something she thought a part of his armour, now appeared to grow straight out of his hair. Eyes of blue were bright, glittering green, and short fangs pressed into his bottom lip.

“And I am no longer a foolish, untried youth. My power has not waned, Eros, only grown stronger.” Loki set Alexa aside and headed down the steps.

When the arm-banded her waist, Alexa yelped. The world shifted, and she was standing in the grass near the forest with Eros’s arm wrapped hard around her waist, and a very sharp dagger stuck beneath her chin.

“Release her!” Loki bellowed, blue skin beginning to leech into existence around his eyes. Then Thor landed on the bank near the Fjord, and his three warriors ran from the forest to surround them. “There is no escape for you. I closed that hole your little trick with the scroll made. Release my wife and I may be convinced to let you keep your head!”

“She is my intended! Not your wife!” Eros snarled, but his growl had nothing on the ones coming from the forest as suddenly one white wolf and one grey stalked from the trees to circle around and come to Loki’s sides.

Loki set his hand on the head of the massive grey and murmured, “Skoll,” then the white, “Hati.”

Alexa, annoyed at being made a damsel in distress, reached for the flames inside her only to have Eros nick her with the blade and send blood trickling down her throat.

“None of that, intended. I won’t have you playing with fire and trying to hurt me." He returned his attention to Loki. "You’re beasts don’t scare me!” 

"Oh, they're not mine though I do enjoy the occasional run through the woods with them," Loki grinned.

He was suddenly much calmer and left Alexa frowning. What did he have up his sleeve?

A slow growl began to build behind them, gradually getting louder and… taller? Then something wet splashed down on his arm, and Alexa looked up to see nothing but teeth, drool, and glowing gold eyes.

"Holy fuck!" she whispered.

"That's right," purred a sultry voice from behind them. "Skoll, Hati, Fenrir are mine."

Eros jerked the two of them around, and Alexa could only stare at the smirking woman in her black and green skin-tight outfit with hair like a raven's wing flowing to her waist. She looked like the Queen of the Goths only a lot scarier with the wolf the size of a house standing over her.

"Little brother," she continued in the same voice. "I hear you're causing trouble. Tsk. Tsk."

"Hela," Loki murmured, pleasure in his voice. "I wondered if you'd join us."

"Well," she lifted her hands to her head and slicked them over her hair, revealing a helmet of black antlers that stretched out above her when she finished, "Hel was getting a little boring." Then she looked at Thor. "Older little brother. My pets are hungry. It has been simply ages since they feasted on godly flesh. Might they eat this one?"

Thor chuckled and leaned his arms on Stormbreaker. "If he does not release Alexa soon, I would be inclined to say yes."

"Who the hell are you?" Eros demanded.

"Oh!" She gasped and brought a hand to her lips. "How rude of me. I am Hela, Goddess of Death." She swept them a bow and pulled a pair of swords out of nothing. "Now, Eros, son of Aphrodite, if you do not wish to suffer the fate of so many before you, release my brother's wife."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Language
> 
> This chapter brought to you through Coffee Updates thanks to @scarletraine Thanks for your support!

* * *

 

Before anyone could move, a fountain of water exploded in the fjord. A man emerged with skin patterned in scales and hair like seaweed.

"Eros! Zeus's commands your return."

"Poseidon I will not leave without my intended," Eros snarled.

"I reject you as a proposed suitor!" Alexa snapped. "You're my half brother, for Olympus sake!"

"What does that matter?" Eros grumbled. "I am a son of Ares; his power is mine. Aphrodite was but the vessel that housed me."

"Okay, eww," Alexa muttered. "That's a disgusting way to speak of any woman." If he thought she'd have anything to do with him after this, he was in for a very big surprise. 

"He means, sister, that his father's power was greater than that of Aphrodite. In human terms, Eros was birthed of Ares through the body of Aphrodite. His DNA is that of Ares with only a residual trace of the Love Goddess," Hela explained, her tone one of boredom. "I am waiting, son of Ares. Do not make the mistake of thinking you can beat me. Not even Hades in the height of his power challenged my wrath."

Alexa still had no idea who the hell she was, but as she was on their side, she wasn't about to complain. 

"Do not threaten my nephew!" Poseidon bellowed, drawing a trident from the water he pointed at Hela.

Thor stamped his foot and the fjord boiled before a sea serpent rose from the deep to hiss and spit at the God of the Sea. "Do not make threats here, God Poseidon! You are not the master of these waters. Jörmungandr will tear you limb from limb if you bring my sister harm."

"Since when have you had a sister?" Alexa grumbled.

"Oh, poo, Thor. Are you forgetting about me?" A dagger flew through the air to embed between his feet. "Must I make you remember?"

"Now is not the time, Hela."

"Enough!" Magic swelled, and the blade was wrenched away from Alexa's throat by one blue hand, the other ripped Eros' arm from her waist. Then she was back in Loki's arms across the beach. "An escalation of hostilities by the Olympians constitutes an immediate ruling in our favour. Alexa is my wife by the rules set forth after the fall of Atlantis. Leave our lands at once!" Loki snarled, echoed by all three wolves. 

"I'm afraid that is not quite so, Loki, son of Odin."

Alexa inhaled hard at the appearance of the newcomer who glided from the forest. She was magnificent!

"Lady Gaia!" the Warriors Three gasped and dropped to a knee.

Tall and stately with bronze and dark skin, the woman's thick black hair curled down her spine. Leaves and branches intertwined through it, while flowers bloomed in the braids. A wreath of wheat and pine and berries rested upon her brow, and with each barefoot step, flowers grew. Her gown of shimmering gold covered her lush curves but bared her strong arms.

"Lady Gaia, you honour us with your presence," Thor said, bowing deeply.

"Gaia," Hela smirked. 

"Hela, daughter of Odin, it has been some years," the majestic woman chuckled. "King of Asgard, I have come of my own accord to mediate this dispute. The land cries out for peace, and I wish for it to return. These Norse lands are calm and quiet, and you have disturbed my nap."

Alexa grasped Loki's hand. "Who is she?"

"She is Gaia, the first Goddess. The Ancient One. A pantheon so old, she is all that is left."

"Oh," Alexa whispered, sliding her hand in her pocket.

Gaia raised her hands, and Alexa jerked when she felt the magic around them fade. This was a powerful being indeed to lower Loki's protections. Then flashes of magic, one of lightning and one of pink smoke appeared near Eros. When they faded, her mother and Zeus - looking old and aggrieved - stood in their place.

"Alexandrettia!" Aphrodite cried in false delight and held her arms open. "Come here, my child."

"Cut the crap, Mother," Alexa snorted.

She gasped in feign rejection. "You see! That _monster_ has turned my sweet child against me! Make him leave, Father!" 

"The only monster here is you, Mom!" Alexa snapped.

"Enough!" the grey-haired Zeus growled. "Alexa, return to your mother. As the head of our pantheon, I command it."

Loki stepped in front of her, causing the rest of the Asgardians to close around them. "She is my wife by the old rules. As such, you have no say in her life!"

"Your marriage is invalid! Alexa is betrothed to Eros. He has first claim to her."

Alexa rolled her eyes. "When did I become Princess fucking Jasmine! I'm not a god's damned prize to be doled out here or there! I want nothing to do with the Gods of Olympus."

Aphrodite burst into tears, sobbing in a dramatic - and stupidly beautiful  - mess as she fell against Eros.

"Alexa, you do not mean that," Zeus said.

"I do. All but three of the Gods of Olympus have scorn or ignored me my entire life. My mother didn't teach me the fundamentals of what it means to be a Goddess, and when I surpassed her for beauty, she _ruined my face_!" Alexa screamed.

"You could never surpass me!" Aphrodite shrieked. "I am the Goddess of Love! How dare you try!"

"I was _sixteen_!"

"You were a disgrace!"

"And you're a bitch, but you don't see me carving up your face!"

"Ladies, please," Thor murmured. "We can solve this predicament without yelling."

"Agreed," Zeus nodded. "Lady Gaia can mediate once the matter of Alexa's marriage is resolved."

"Alexa is my wife. I will do battle to keep her," Loki announced, his voice frozen with deadly intent.

"This all feels very Helen of Troy all over again," Poseidon muttered.

More grumblings broke out between the group, causing the headache Alexa was fighting to throb as she stuffed her hands deeper in her pockets. Then her fingertips brushed the apple, and she made an impulsive decision. 

Without hesitation, she drew it from her pocket and bit deeply into the flesh. It was sweet and juicy, the flavour unlike anything she'd ever tasted, and moaned softly before she swallowed and took a second bite. 

It crunched loudly, causing Loki to stiffen before he turned to face her. His smile spread, wicked and so full of approval, she grinned as she chewed.

"It appears, Alexa has made her choice," he murmured. "She has eaten an Apple of Idunn and is now Asgardian."

Gaia sighed heavily into the silence. "She has only made this more difficult, Loki. For now, instead of an Olympian desiring to wed an Asgardian while betrothed to an Olympian, it will be an Asgardian betrothed to an Olympian desiring to stay with Asgard."

"The decision is made," Thor stated. "Alexa desires to be with us. Does her choice matter so little?" Lightning jumped over the blade of his glowing axe.

"On the contrary, her choice is all that matters," Gaia intoned. "But as she was promised to Eros first, he must be given a chance to court her-"

"No," Loki snarled.

"- so she can make her _final_ choice."

"I choose Loki!" Alexa snapped. "Right here, right now!"

"If you refuse to allow Eros the chance to win your heart," Gaia glared at her, "I will rule in favour of Olympus, and you will be bound to Eros at once."

"You can't do this!" Alexa cried. "This is my life!"

"This is the way of the Gods." Gaia turned her harsh eyes on Aphrodite. "For failing to educate your child properly, I place a chain on your power to last one hundred years." She raised her hand and snapped her fingers as Aphrodite screamed in denial. "Earn the forgiveness of your child, and I may release you from punishment sooner. Too long have you reigned unchecked, Goddess of Love." Gaia laid a hard stare on Zeus who looked away.

"Lady Gaia, please," Loki whispered. "Do not do this."

"Such is our way, Loki, son of Odin. Eros, son of Ares, I grant you one week to court the lovely Alexa."

"One week!" Eros bellowed. "He has had months to win her heart!"

"And you have had twenty-nine years to show interest in your intended. Why now?" 

"I- I- she is only a child!"

"Hey!" Alexa snapped, licking the last of the apple's juice from her fingers. Already there was a hum of magic inside her, changing her, reworking something, as if old ties were unwinding as new ones formed.

"I was hoping to give her time to grow up, mature as a Goddess before introducing myself," he explained.

"Hm," Gaia hummed. "We shall see. Alexa Spark, it is time for you to come with me."

"What? Why?"

"Because one God can not court you on the lands that belong to your lover. Neutral territory will be established."

"Where?" Thor and Zeus asked together.

"I will allow Alexa to choose, as she in all this must be as comfortable as possible."

Now the woman was concerned with her comfort? Then a thought crossed her mind, and Alexa smiled. "Fine. I choose the Avenger's Compound."

"So be it. We will arrive tomorrow at dawn. Come, Alexa." Gaia held out her hand.

Alexa clung to Loki. "Loki…"

"My darling, it will be alright," he whispered, cupping her face in his hands. "In seven days we will be together again."

"I love you. I don't want to do this," she whimpered.

"I know, _brannhjerte_ , but you must to put this quarrel to rest once and for all. You must allow it, accept it, and give it a genuine chance or Gaia could still rule in favour of Olympus." He bent and touched his lips to hers before skimming them over her cheek to her ear. "And it is not against the rules for me to also court you. Competition is good for the soul."

He rumbled a chuckle, and Alexa relaxed into him. "I quite like the horns, Loki. I look forward to revisiting this look in seven days."

"Mm, naughty," he smirked. "Go with Gaia now." 

She stepped back and looked at the ring resting heavy on her hand. Slowly, she worked it off and handed it to him. "I expect that back. Keep it safe for me."

"Seven days, _brannhjerte_."

She walked away and followed Gaia into the forest. It would be a long seven days.

***

Loki could hardly control his rage once Alexa disappeared into the woods. "Get them off my land," he snarled, and the wolves began to circle.

"Loki," Thor muttered before addressing the Gods of Olympus. "The meeting is done. Leave."

"King of Asgard. We will meet you tomorrow at dawn," Zeus tilted his head. The three vanished in a flash of lightning. 

Jörmungandr hissed at Poseidon until the Sea God growled and dove beneath the water. The serpent then swam closer, gave a mournful sound, and lowered his head to shove at Loki. 

He patted the scaly cheek. “Thank you, my friend.” Jörmungandr hissed and made Loki chuckle. “Yes, any longer and I would have enjoyed watching you eat the sea whelp too.”

“Now what do we do?” Volstagg asked. 

“We prepare the humans to be inundated by the Gods of Asgard and Olympus,” Thor said, shifting his attention to Hela. “Will you join us, sister? Or are you returning to Hel?”

“What? And miss all the fun?” she smiled, cold and deadly. “I’ve always wanted to meet your little Avenger friends.”

“Don’t break any of them, Hela,” Thor warned.

“And will I finally meet my niece?” she asked, her smile softening. 

“Astrid is on Asgard for safe keeping.”

“Oh, poo, Loki!” she huffed. "You think these puny Olympians could get past all of us?” She shot a smirk at the Warriors Three and flipped back her hair. “Them maybe, but not us.”

“I beg your pardon!” Fandral scoffed.

“As you should, Fandral,” she sniffed. “Now Thor. Don’t tell me your friends don’t know about me.”

“I’m afraid you haven’t come up, Hela dear.”

She gasped and pressed a hand to her chest. “Forgotten by my own brother? How cruel!”

Loki crossed the expanse of lawn to press a kiss to her cheek. “You make people nervous, darling, with the death thing.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “They face it nearly every day. What could possibly make them nervous about spending time with the Goddess of Death?”

***

Alexa followed the tall Goddess through the trees, fog gathering thick around them, making it difficult to see more than three feet beyond Gaia’s nose. “Where are we going?”

“To a place where we can speak without others overhearing. As the Gods of Asgard claim space in Norway, and the Gods of Greece hold lands in the Mediterranean, I have my own primordial homeland.” 

Barely was she done speaking when the fog cleared and they walked into a rainforest: lush greenery, fragrant, colourful flowers, and humidity. Birds of vibrant plumage flew amongst the leaves and insects buzzed around the flowers. 

“Wow.”

Gaia chuckled and settled into the roots of a moss-covered tree. “Welcome to my home.”

“Are we in South America?” Alexa asked, lightly touching the petals of a bright pink blossom. 

“We are not.” 

“Then where the heck are we?” When Gaia began to laugh, Alexa frowned and took a seat on a stump. “What’s so funny?”

“The humans would call this place Eden.”

“What? Really!” Alexa gasped. 

“The last piece of it, yes. Outside my magic, there is nothing but sand.” 

“That’s amazing!” 

She laughed again, and it was melodious. “Well, when you are as old as I am, things like this are easy.”

“How old are you?” Alexa blurted before she thought better of it. 

Gaia smiled. “How old is the Earth?”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“You are so very young.” She swung her bare feet and pointed at the forest to Alexa’s left. “I am the first Goddess. Gaia, of the Earth.” 

The vines and leaves pulled apart and revealed a giant statue carved of stone. Short legs, large round belly, and heavy breasts. An ancient image Alexa had seen around the world in natural history museums. 

“Holy… wow…” Alexa blinked at the statue. “They were crap artists.” She blushed brightly. “I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have said-”

Gaia burst out laughing. “They really were! But then when you use mud and your hands to create with, you get what you get.”

Alexa relaxed relieved she hadn’t offended the woman. “This is all so… crazy. I’m so confused.” She rubbed her temples and thrust both hands through her hair.

“I know, child. Your mother has done you a disservice keeping you blind.” 

“Do I really have to do this?

“It is the way of things. Our rules are strict for a reason.”

She perked up. “Is this to do with Atlantis?”

“Ah, so you know some things,” Gaia smiled. 

Alexa lifted her hair off her neck and rolled it into a bun then fanned her face. It was far too warm for the sweater and jeans she’d worn in Norway. “Loki gave me a book last night. I’m like two pages in. I got through the part about introductions and mentions of Atlantis before getting interrupted. Could you tell me?”

She gave a regal tilt of her head, flicked her fingers, and changed Alexa's clothes to a light fabric gown similar to her own. Alexa nodded her thanks and made a mental note to have Loki teach her that trick sooner rather than later. 

“In the time of Atlantis, we had no such rules as we do now, but each pantheon kept to their own worshipers. We had scuffles, of course, but no one pantheon sought to outdo the other. Until Atlantis.” Gaia plucked a flower from her makeshift throne, shook the pollen into the palm of her hand, and tossed it into the air. 

It shimmered, and Gaia disappeared as a wondrous world appeared. Alexa gasped at the beauty of the city stretched out before her. Colossal stone buildings rose from islands floating on the sea. Gardens hung from balconies and dripped from windows. Flying vehicles, mechanical carts, and glowing lights had Alexa’s mouth hanging open in awe. 

“Shit! That’s like something out of our future! Like they plucked it from Tony’s brain. How is that possible? The advanced technology is crazy!”

“The Gods of Atlantis were from an advanced race. Aliens if you wish. The people worshipped them as Gods so Gods they became.”

“Is that what happened with Asgard?” Alexa asked. 

“Asgard was an exception. They are the Gods of their people as well as the people of Earth. It is what makes them such a strong pantheon. When they journeyed here to halt the Frost Giants from taking over, it was easy for the early Norse worshipers to consider them Gods.”

Alexa waved at the images of Atlantis. “So what happened?” 

“Atlantis grew strong. Powerful. They began to see the rest of us as weak and expand to take over other territories. They started a war.” The images changed, showing powerful weapons, ones that reminded her all too much of the missiles and bombs of today. Death and destruction followed in their wake, spreading out from the floating city. “The Gods of Atlantis were cruel, sending their worshipers out, sacrificing them and killing the innocent to further their control. When other pantheons rose up to resist them, they destroyed them. Viciously.”

“Shades of Olympus!” The devastation was extensive. Those who were not Atlantean couldn’t resist the might of those who were. 

“When it became clear Atlantis would not stop, the greatest of us gathered together in secret. Asgardians. Olympians. The Earth Gods. Egyptians. Even as far east as the Kami. They came from every corner of the world. We allied and turned the might of each of us on the Atlanteans.”

The image changed to show Gods and Goddess in all shapes and sizes reigning holy hellfire down on the magnificent city. Out of the ocean rose the giant serpent Jörmungandr, the same creature as what had come out of the fjord, ripped and tore into the bedrock of the city. 

She’d never seen anything like it. Magic faced off against massive weapons and machines. Lightning ripped from the sky to slam into the ground. A final concentrated bolt of magic tore out of the clouds and pounded into a blue globe that appeared beneath the ground once the stones blew away. 

It exploded like a supernova, radiating out in a shockwave that shook the city. Walls began to crumble. Buildings toppled into the sea, and bridges collapsed down upon the once pristine gardens. Then the water started to bubble up as the city slid into the sea. It fell fast. The ocean seemed to swallow it even as the Gods continued to destroy it.

Once it was gone, only bubbles left to mark the sinking of the once great city, the pollen drifted away on the breeze, revealing Gaia on the other side. 

"Each of the Gods of Atlantis was hunted down and killed to prevent them from rising again, while the Gods of the Sea and the creatures of the deep saw to erasing every trace of Atlantis from the waters so their technology could not be used in the future."

Alexa sat back. "That's… incredible."

"It is. We decided after all was finished that the rules of pantheon laws would be set down to dissuaded such actions in the future. It does not stop all conflicts, but it keeps them from escalating into another Atlantean incident."

"And that's how this all came about? But I just want to be with the person I love. Why is this so difficult?" She thrust to her feet, flames flickering in her hair as Alexa began to pace. "And who the hell decided I could marry my half brother. Can we all just say gross?"

Gaia chuckled while twirling a flower. "Hela explained that to you. Ares used Aphrodite as a vessel to grow his heir, nothing more. What powers of persuasion he wields are simply a residual gift. Eros is Ares son. Nothing more."

"I want to say DNA doesn't work like that, but I have the feeling you'll just tell me godly DNA is different."

"It does. Hence the reason some Gods give birth to their offspring without a partner. I had nine hundred children and no mate. They are almost all gone now," she said sadly.

"Almost?" Alexa asked.

"A few still live in active volcanoes, but they are to busy to visit with their mother." She shrugged, but Alexa could tell she missed them.

"And what about me? Am I more my father than my mother?" she asked softly, worried for the answer.

"You are equal parts of both. In your case, they were equal in power and as equals, created a child who was heir to both. Have you never wondered why your mother does not simply have another child to produce an heir? She is, for all her powers, the weakest among you. Any God she bears a child too will be of the father, not her, except for Hephaestus who is her equal."

"That's…" Insane. Crazy. Wack a doo. Instead, she said, "different," and left it at that.

"It is that," she smirked.

"And if I were to have a child with Loki?"

"Ah, now the Asgardians are unique as they, in fact, do combine their DNA to create new offspring. A son or daughter of Loki would be a blending of you both. Now a son with Eros? Hard to say."

"Why?"

"You are the heir to two gods, meaning you are twice as powerful. A child with him would likely be yours."

“Seriously? But Ares is the most powerful of the Greek Gods behind Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon.” 

“Ares has surpassed Zeus and Poseidon. The God of War is invigorated by this age. He, like your mother, has an influx of power.”

Alexa leaned back on her hands and stared up at the foliage above. “I don’t understand what the plan is here. What’s she up to? No one ever said anything about a betrothal. She washed her hands of me years ago.”

“She is even trickier than usual.”

 Alexa jumped up at the new voice. “Aunt Art!”

“My little spark,” she chuckled, pulling Alexa in for a tight hug. 

“What are you doing here?” 

Artemis set her back and squeezed her shoulders before releasing her. “Gaia arranged for us to meet after your father called me. This entire betrothal is fake.”

“What!” Alexa shrieked. “Then why the hell am I going through this?”

“Because, my sprite, your mother and Ares are up to something. Something big. But I have not been able to discover what. This is our best opportunity to figure it out.”

“Shades!” She stalked away from her aunt. “You’re using me as bait?”

“I am using you as the Avenger you are.”

Alexa turned to face her, always amazed at what an Amazon her aunt looked. Tall, fit, sleek. She was as swift and fleet as the hounds that usually followed her. Beautiful with her chestnut hair and classic bone structure. She was dependable, strong, powerful. Artemis was the rock Alexa had built her foundation on. The woman she’d modelled herself after. She owed her aunt so much and heaved a heavy sigh. 

“So, what’s the plan?”

Artemis smiled. “It is time to go hunting.” 

***

“You have a sister!” Steve barked.

“And she’s the Goddess of _what_?” Tony yelped.

“Death, darling,” Hela smirked, gliding toward him. “I know your mind is only human, but do _try_ to keep up.”

“There’s a giant wolf on the front lawn!” Peter yelled as he ran in the room and skidded to a halt. “Oh, we have company,” he muttered, blushing red. 

Loki chuckled. “The wolves are Hela’s. The big one is Fenrir. The others are Skoll and Hadi. This is Hela, our sister.”

She glided across the floor and took Peter’s chin in her hand. “Mm, I do like the young ones.”

“What did I say about breaking my friends?” Thor muttered. 

“I wouldn’t break him,” she smiled. “Just rough him up a little.”

“I- I- I’m only twenty-one!” Peter stuttered. 

“And I am four thousand two hundred and twenty-nine. And holding,” she purred. "I won't hold it against you."

“Ma’am,” Steve said when Peter gave an audible gulp.

“Oh, fine! He’s far too thin for me. I prefer someone with a bit more… _muscle_ ,” she smiled slyly at Steve.  

The Captain crossed his arms. “Never going to happen.”

“Okay, okay,” Stark interjected. “Why are you here? What’s going on? And where the hell is Alexa?”

“Alexa is with Gaia.” Loki waved a hand when they began to ask more questions. “We have much to discuss and not much time to prepare. Call the others. If I am to keep my wife, we will all need to prepare.”

“Wife?” Stark and Rogers barked. 

“Yes, wife. Now, go. The Gods of Olympus will be arriving at dawn.” Loki took off down the hall, Hela and Thor with the Warriors Three following. “We must be prepared for anything. Something about this entire charade feels… wrong.”

“How so?” Thor asked. 

“What Gaia said. Eros had twenty-nine years to contact Alexa. Why now?”

Loki wasn’t sure what was going on, but he did not for one second trust the Gods of Olympus. He especially didn’t trust Alexa’s mother and would prepare the team as best he could. Thanks to Gaia, he wouldn’t have to worry about Aphrodite trying to ensnare any of them with her magic, but a beautiful woman could use more than just magic to ensorcell a man. 

Add Eros to the mix and the week could get explosive. 

While Loki was glad Alexa had chosen what amounted to home turf for them, a place where the Avengers had closed the distance on godly status and helped boost his power, he didn’t like that Aphrodite had been with Hydra and would now be walking the halls of Avenger central. 

He would need to assist Stark in boosting security. Firewalls were one thing, but magical wards were another. 

Anyone trying to sneak past his magic would be in for one hell of a surprise.


End file.
